The Runaway Princess Takari Romance
by Smoochynose
Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.
1. To Run

A/N: Hey everyone. I've been going back over this and I'm horrified at the state my writing in the earlier chapters of this story and so I'm going back through it and making changes to hopefully make it better. Plotwise nothing has changed so nothing to worry about. I just want this to be the best story it can be.

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Pairings: Takari, Mimato, Mimi and Joe (in the past) are the prominant ones.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters an anything related.

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**Chapter 1 - To Run**

The empty white marble corridors of the famed palace of the Amarian kingdom was thick with tension in the air and every few minutes small clusters of alert soldiers would pass through, checking every room on the way, while the chambermaids and servants were escorted away.

A figure emerged at the end of the marble passage, checking that it was clear before running like death itself was at her heels. Her face was that of a girl on the verge of becoming a woman but her ruby eyes spoke of hardships that others couldn't comprehend.

She ran through the empty corridors, feet passing silently over the white marble. A cat like creature, her digimon partner, ran just as soundlessly as she did. Every now and again the girl would turn her head over her shoulder at a distant sound, checking that they had not been found.

She ducked into the next passage and stopped suddenly, freezing on the spot as she heard footsteps down the next corridor and, grabbing her digimon, the girl tucked herself behind one of the large red wall hangings and held her breath so not to make a single sound, knowing her digimon would be doing the same.

The guards' footsteps got closer and stopped practically in front of her. The only thing separating them was a thin layer of material, hanging from the wall, and she was sure that it wasn't enough to stop the guards from hearing her heart beating.

"Any sign of her?" asked a deep, harsh voice. The girl's nails dug into the palm of her hand as she clenched her fists as she tried to restrain her panic. The captain of the king's guard was just five feet away from her.

"No sir. We lost sight of her down in the south wing."

"Take two teams and search the whole of that area thoroughly. If she's hiding then we will find her. I do not want her to get away."

"Yes sir." She heard the guard's clanking armour as he ran down the hall.

"We better find the brat soon," the captain said in a low growl.

"Sshe sshall be found," hissed his snakelike familiar.

The girl took a small step back into her hiding place, accidentally knocking the sheath of her sword against the wall.

There was silence. Her whole body tensed as slow footsteps made the way over to the tapestry and calloused fingers wrapped around the edge of the material. She moved her hand to the hilt of her sword, ready to fight, when the hand drew away as more men approached."

"What is it Kahn?" he asked shortly.

"The window in the north passage has been broken. We believe she's making her escape that way."

"Come with me. Gather whatever men you pass on the way. We will head her off."

"Yes sir."

After a few moments, she heard one last set of footsteps leaving and, as soon as they were gone, the girl and her digimon ran out from behind the wall hanging and ran along the corridors once again. "That was close," she whispered, peering around the next turn before setting off at a run again.

"They almost had us this time, Kari," her partner replied.

"This way," the girl – Kari – directed, making her way through the maze of twists and turns until she found what she was looking for, a window next to a large portrait of the king, his mottled complexion as clear as ever and his fierce expression, although only that of a painting, was still enough to send a shiver of fear down her back.

"Ready, Gatomon?" she asked.

The cat nodded determinedly as the running pair leapt through the glass window without a second glance, covering their faces with their arms.

Kari let out a gasp as the iciness of the water spread up her body and enveloped her. It was like she had felt the cold before she had even hit the river.

The nervous pair swam pulled themselves across to the other side of the river and dragged themselves out of the water, Kari's waterlogged clothes weighing her down. She constantly scanned the area with meticulous eyes to check that nobody had noticed them.

She shivered in the cold, as a gust of wind blew across her sodden face. Her clothes were heavy with water and she quickly hid behind some bushes out of sight of anyone passing and removed the outer layers of her clothes, as her digimon shook the water from her fur.

Soon the pair was running into the cherry orchard, Kari with only a light dress and her travelling cloak. Her only weapons were a bow and arrow slung over her shoulder and a sword on her hip, though the idea of using them sent dangerous thoughts of betrayal down her spine. She shook her head slightly. She wasn't the traitor.

They made their way through the blossoming trees, until a large oak stood above her; the great wall that circled the entire palace and its grounds and stood beside the ancient tree was shadowed by the tree itself, when it stood proud above all of its other surroundings. Her cat like digimon had already began to climb the tree, digging her claws into the bark as she worked her way up with ease.

As the girl had expected, the first few branches were too high to reach but she had planned for that. She effortlessly shot several arrows up the side of the tree to form a ladder and wasted no time in climbing up, knowing that the arrows would only just take her weight and so she mustn't waste time in moving to the next, just in case it couldn't support her forever.

She acted quickly, but not blindly, in scaling the tree and finding a path through the branches, smiling every time she caught up with her digimon partner. Despite the danger she couldn't shale the refreshing joy of being so free in her actions.

She was halfway up when she heard something that made her turn around. There was lots of shouting down below and she could see a lone guard pointing to her in the tree and many other guards running in formation towards her.

She quickly returned her attention back to climbing the tree, moving a lot quicker than before, realising they could still catch her. The adrenaline beginning to flood through her entire body as an odd sense of excitement came over her at the prospect of the chase.

She heard the leaves rustling below and the crack of a branch being torn from the tree. She knew it would be the guards trying to catch her but she also knew she was at an advantage. She was smaller, lighter and more agile than the guards, meaning she could climb faster and higher than them, if she tried hard enough. Then there was the fact that they could do her no lasting damage. They needed her alive.

When she had reached quite a decent height, carefully balancing her weight, Kari began to walk across the large branch that stretched out over the great wall, Gatomon gracefully hopping across ahead of her.

She looked forward and pretended it was just like the game she used to play when she was younger. She would draw a line on the floor with a piece of chalk and then walk along it, balancing with her arms outstretched so she didn't fall but as her eyes looked down that image was shattered. This was nothing like that child's game. If she fell or tripped then it would all be over, no second chances.

She managed to get halfway across, when a gust of wind roared through the trees and knocked her over. She only just managed to cling onto the branch, her weight pulling her down. She heard her digimon call out to her and several gasps from servants, whom had come to watch, but she ignored them and swung herself back up onto the branch, her digimon helping to pull her up. She continued along the branch, not yet over the shock of nearly falling but knowing she had to act quickly.

Her heart was racing furiously. If she went to fast then she would fall and if she was too slow then she would be caught and taken before the king. Either way her life would be over.

When she was above the great wall she jumped down ten feet, landing elegantly in her almost silent drop. Gatomon landed beside her, flipping over on the way down as she found her correct balance, then they quickly ran along the wall.

Already guards were emerging from the stairwells on top of the wall, most with Bearmon as their digimon partners. It was common for people of similar occupations to have similar partners. The pair of escapists dodged between the guards as they ran along the wall, hoping to find somewhere they could safely get down on the other side of the wall but every second they could not find a safe escape route brought more guards to stop them.

Kari ran along the left side of the wall, looking down but also aware of what was going on around her. She had to be. Looking forward she could see water. It was a river and it looked deep enough for them to safely land in but it also looked strong. It was possible it might just be strong enough to pull her along or drag her under. She would take her chances but as she readied herself to dive she noticed several Bearmon ambush her Gatomon.

Distracted, a man was able to grab her wrist and pull her away from the edge and pushed her down on the floor next to her digimon, so that she couldn't run away. She picked up Gatomon and held her close to her chest protectively. Her heart sank as she heard the clattering of armour surround her and she looked up at the man who had caught her.

His breath reeked of ale and his face was grey and blotchy. He had dismal, watery blue eyes that disgusted her and they were full of pride for being the one who had caught her. His digimon, a Numemon of all things, was at his side.

His voice was as bland as his eyes when he looked at her and said, "You're not getting away today, Princess Hikari."


	2. To Cry

A/N: This is the second revised chapter. The main note is on the first chapter but in short terms I'm unhappy with the standard of writing in the earlier chapters so I'm reworking it but plotwise nothing changes, except it's just a little bit darker.

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.**

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**Chapter 2 – To Cry**

On paper, Hikari Kamiya was the perfect daughter and crown princess. She was a prodigy in all her studies that raised above all the rest. Etiquette and decorum had been drilled into her since birth, she had been educated in languages, art, and music from the moment she could talk, and dance, weapons training, horseback riding, and martial arts since she took her first step.

She could weave her way with ease through political conversations, manipulating her audience to her will without them even realising what had happened. She was firm and stood her ground but also knew when to give in but most of all she loved her country.

She loved the inky black lakes she had read about in the grand library and the dark and mysterious mermaids that resided in them. She was in awe of the ice-capped mountains at the border of the land and the small settlements of Elves that had found hidden meadows in the peaks and settled there. She yearned for the great forest and the anger and exhilaration that it offered, harbouring witches and bandits and dangerous creatures.

She loved it all. Nobody could love the sparse variety of Amara like she did. She was the perfect heir to the throne and future ruler of Amara and its entire people, except from the fact she wanted none of it.

While Kari loved the country and the prospect of travelling it with Gatomon at her side, finding hidden treasures of nature and living off the berries, fruits, and vegetables that grew wild in uninhabited and cultivated lands, she hated the people.

Amara was among the most prosperous countries of the time. It was developed and had good trade and business and people moved to the cities to make their fortune all the time. However, the Amarians had grown greedy and corrupt and she hated it. She hated that the king, her father, would sit back and let his guards steal from the people so long as he got a share of the spoils. It disgusted her.

She was not born for the type of life she had been given. She was never meant to be locked away inside of the palace walls, being waited on by her personal hand maids for twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. It was not what she was born to do.

The palace was her prison – a very ornate prison but a prison no less and she was always watched, eyes followed her everywhere and even if she couldn't see them she knew that they were there, watching her. It wouldn't do for her to runaway and they knew that she would.

Ever since she was a little girl she had been trying to escape from the palace life and each attempt had been thwarted. She was troublesome an ungrateful and her father hated her but despite that she was needed. She was the only heir to the throne they had and even though she was only a girl, she still carried Kamiya blood in her veins.

Because of the threat she posed to leaving the kingdom without an heir, her father has placed two servants to watch her at all times. She was not allowed to be left alone at any time. Being watched she had no chance to make a break for freedom and so the last three years she had played her roll as the grateful princess she was supposed to be and took part in the intricacies of the court.

Her earned title 'the runaway princess' had been forgotten but the reasoning behind the name was not. She was watched constantly, without a single moment of privacy, however the watchers never saw what was going on behind her eyes.

She took in every detail of the palace, making a mental map. She knew the shortcuts and the hidden passages used by the servants and where they went. She knew almost all the hiding places. She had been everywhere in the palace, except for the north tower. Nobody was allowed in the north tower. It had been declared dangerous and boarded up years ago and years of neglect were beginning to show on the crumbling spire.

She also knew the habits of all the staff from where the head chef took his afternoon break to the favourite routes taken by the servants and cleaning staff.

Over time security around her was dropped, as she showed no attempt at escape, and a plan formed in her mind. Eventually her father had decided that she had given up on her childish ideas and called the guards he had watch her constantly off and put them to work on more important matters.

She had learnt to be patient in the last three years and, even though it had taken a month for them to drop their guard completely, she had waited for the opportune moment for hers and Gatomon's escape. She didn't want to lose the opportunity because she was impatient.

Then she had finally had the perfect opportunity that morning. The whole corridor had been absent of people save for her and Gatomon so she had smashed a window before retreating into an old hidden passage, leaving a false trial behind them.

Except, she had been caught and escorted back to her chambers with all exits watched and left alone until it was time to be taken to her father. Kari bowed her head at the thought of her punishment for her actions. She was an embarrassment to the nation and a weakness to the king.

Where once she had been proud of the name 'runaway princess' she was ashamed. She had failed her country and family by trying to abandon them and herself and Gatomon for failing to leave. She was a disgrace.

She had heard the whispers of the court nobles when she was younger and the whispers of the servants as she was taken back to her rooms. They believed her foolish and crazy for wanting to give up her lavish lifestyle. They envied her wealth and status and could not see why she wished to leave it all behind.

However, there was a logical reason to her desire to be outside of the palace, a reason that she had such a desperate need to escape. It was in her blood and displayed on her features for all to see.

She had Elvin blood, passed down from her mother, who had inherited it from an ancestor long since passed and, wile that particular bloodline was weak in her mother, just as it had been in her grandmother, it had been inherited strongly in Kari, coming through clearer than it had in generations. Had it not been for Kari's eyes, which were not a fern green like most elves, she would easily have passed for a young elf and everybody knew an elf needed freedom, not just wanted but needed.

Elves were quite secretive outside of their clans and in the past armies had captured them and tried to learn from their infinite knowledge. The elves would go crazy from their captivity long before any information was given, leaving them in no condition to speak their secrets.

Kari's eyes were in fact a beautiful shade of ruby, which was strange because not a single member of her family, on both sides, had ever had ruby eyes, as far as anyone could tell from the old scriptures and portraits. In fact she was one of only three people in the kingdom to have ruby eyes, or so she had heard, which wasn't much since her father did not trust her.

What she did know was that the other two were outcasts, treated with distrust and violence because of prejudices long since imbedded at the colour of their eyes.

Kari's ears were slightly pointed, but unlike an elf's they were shorter and the point was more curved than one that would have belonged to an elf.

Her hair was a warm cinnamon brown that, if she had spent a while outside, would shine like gold in the sun. Her silky hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her delicate frame all the way down to her waist.

Her mother disliked it when Kari had her hair done in hundreds of small braids because it made Kari look too much like an Elvin princess for her liking, reminding her of her Elvin need for freedom and as such her escape attempts. She was quite short for her age but this surprised nobody, considering how much Elvin blood she had, taking into account she had human blood too people guessed she be a good foot shorter than most people but still in the top height ranges of the elves.

She her lithe form looked like she could easily be snapped in two and she carried herself with the grace of the Elves.

Kari sighed toying slightly with the muslin curtains of her large four-poster bed, resting her head on one the exotic cushions that her mother had imported from Sangrar, s small country to the east of Amara. She wondered what she would do now; since it was obvious her last attempt that had been three years in the making had failed.

She had been locked in her room for several hours and she knew her parents would be talking in their bedroom about her. Talking in this case meaning the king ranting on and on while his wife sat down and quietly listened, nodding occasionally or throwing in the odd comment in agreement.

Gatomon watched sadly as Kari got up and paced the room, knowing her partner was feeling more and more trapped as time drew on. It made Kari edgy and anxious to not be allowed out of the palace. The princess could feel the walls pressing in on her claustrophobically and decided to distract herself by interesting herself in the intricate carvings of her wardrobe.

They told the story of a young princess, who had been kidnapped by a red eyed witch, jealous of the young girl's beauty, and locked away in a tower surrounded by orgles, creatures similar to orks except they were two foot higher, two times smellier and two times more vicious.

Then one day a handsome prince rode up to the tower and, after defeating the orgles in a bloody battle, rescued the princess and returned her home. The princess' grateful father allowed them to marry and they were wed the next day.

Kari snorted, causing Gatomon to jump. The cat rushed down her fur indignantly before watching Kari with scrupulous cerulean eyes again. Life wasn't like that. Handsome princes didn't just ride up and safe the day. There was never just one bloody battle and certainly no grateful kings, who were just happy to have their daughter back.

If you wanted a happy ending you had to go out and get it yourself and not wait around to be rescued by Prince Charming, she had tried that for a while and it hadn't worked. The story made her feel bitter and angry, as though her own personal hero had never shown up but it wasn't that. She didn't have her own hero in the first place.

Kari flicked her wrist and out of her sleeve shot a knife, which she caught in her hand, the blade sticking out between her index and her middle finger, and she angrily slashed the last carving of the happy king and the wedding of the prince and the princess. She wasn't in the mood to hear about princesses who needed a guy to rescue them.

"Kari!" screamed Gatomon, who was scared by her partner's sudden violence, "I know you hate fairytales but I don't think attacking one is going to help you."

Kari blushed. She heard the clank of the door being unlocked and quickly hid the knife and sprinted over to then other side of the room, just before a servant opened the door and one of her father's officials walked in, a Goamon at his side.

"Your father has summoned you to his room. You are to be escorted there and you shall make no attempt to run away or you shall be severely punished."

Kari obeyed. She could remember the last time she was '_severely punished'._ She still had the scar on her back to remind her every time she saw it in the mirror, not that she needed reminding. It wasn't like she could forget that her father had taken the very sword that he had gifted her with and swung it into her back. Her father was a monster and she knew it better than anyone.

"Come on Gatomon," she said to her only friend.

"Princess Kari, your father has forbidden Gatomon from coming with you to this meeting," the official warned.

"It's OK Gatomon," Kari said sadly as her partner took a step towards her apologetically, "I'll be alright," and with that she obediently followed the official, whilst a number of guards marched to all sides of her, the methodical clanking of metal beating into her that she truly was a prisoner now.

She was lead across the marble corridors, which just hours before she and Gatomon had been making their escape through. She was lead to a door at the other side of the palace, where her father's quarters were situated.

The official knocked on the door and opened it slightly announcing, "Princess Hikari Mitsuko Umika Kamiya, princess of Amara."

"Let her enter," came her father's booming voice. Kari could her the anger in his voice and she shivered, even though it wasn't cold. Her father was a cruel man without any lack of mercy. Sometimes she heard the tortured screams of the man's enemies at night even though the dungeons were on the other side of the palace. She had seen him order the death of innocent children because they blocked the path of his carriage. To have his anger directed at her was not something to be taken lightly.

She entered the room with hesitant steps.

Her father was sat at a long desk, which had scattered scrolls and messages, his mother sat behind him and just to the left. Her father's complexion was a mottled purple, which either meant he was furious or his heart had stopped working. Kari made a wild guess the former, although secretly hoped for the latter. As Kari looked around the room she saw her mother's digimon, a Cocomon, sitting in the corner. She couldn't see her father's digimon and was glad it was not there at the moment.

Her father's partner was a vicious champion level and sent chills down her spine and took all of her courage to stand in the same room with. She had seen her father's partner feast off other digimon, leaving them to die in such a way that their human partner did not. It was a fate worse than death to be alone without your partner.

Her father's greying hair was greasy beneath his jewel incrusted crown and, like the guard who had stopped her escape, he had small watery eyes that followed her as she entered, the guard closing the door behind her.

"Sit down," he ordered fiercely and Kari made her way to the only other seat in the room, which was facing her father at the other side of the desk.

"You have disappointed me Hikari. I thought you had become the princess that this kingdom needs. You are the only heir and I have come to realise that you are not a suitable future ruler of the kingdom of Amara.

"Our kingdom is at a critical point of negotiations with the kingdom of Imprecatios. Any weakness in my family shall be seen as a weakness of our country. The fact that I have a daughter who chooses to rebel against me is seen as a weakness I cannot afford. You are a disgrace and I am ashamed to call you my daughter. You are worth less than the filthy scum that fill my streets and yet I have little choice but to let you inherit the lands when you are old enough.

"Through much hard thought I have come to realise that there is a single solution to both these problem," Kari looked up at him. She had a bad feeling about where this was going, "You are to be married to King Mortius's son as soon as you are of marrying age."

"But father," Kari cut in.

"As soon as you are of marrying age you shall be married," her father said firmly and fiercely over her, "You do not have a choice in the matter and I will not listen to your opinions. You do not deserve them. You're little more than a mistake and I rue the day you were born."

"But father. The Imprecatians are part orgle. They are violent and aggressive. They will see this marriage as a way of taking our land!"

The king backhanded her across the face, knocking her off the chair and onto the floor. She raised her hand to the stinging red mark but did not speak out. "Silence! Do not raise your voice to me, girl. A royal wedding will secure our future and they will make strong allies. Their son shall rule whilst you hold your tongue. You are a black spot on this family and you shall not destroy us for your petty wiles.

"I've had enough of trying to make you see reason. I let you have your friendship with that servant boy and you didn't appreciate your place in society. I let you have riding lessons and you betray the Kamiya line by attempting to leave. You live in luxury and could have anything you wanted and even then you shame the country with your inappropriate behaviour. It ends now."

Her mother spoke for the first time, calmly saying, "It is a princess's honour and duty to marry for her kingdom. Be proud you can give yourself up for the better of your country."

"I won't do it," Kari protested, wishing that Gatomon were with her. She needed her strength right now more than ever.

"You don't have a choice in the matter," the king barked. "You shall be wed and if you try to go against me then it shall be Gatomon who pays the price."

Kari shrank back fearfully, holding her tongue. Anything she said could give her father reason to harm punishment. He hadn't held back in the past because she was his daughter and she doubted the king would now. He could marry her against her will, even if she did disagree.

Once she was married, she would never be free and, with that final thought in her head, she was escorted back to her room. She walked proudly like any princess should but broke down in tears the second the door of her room was closed behind her. The only thing that drew her from her misery was the unnatural silence of the room. Looking up, her heart beat frantically at the fact Gatomon was nowhere in sight.

"Gatomon? Gatomon!" she cried, trying to open the door of the room only to find it locked. She pounded at the door, calling for her partner with tears in her eyes. The guards stood outside, doing their best to ignore her stricken cries. To be separated from your partner and knowing they were in danger was horrible and they wouldn't wish it on anyone but who were they to question the king's orders.

It was hours later, when Kari had fallen asleep against the wall that the door was lurched open and Gatomon was unceremoniously thrown in. Kari cried out and gently pulled Gatomon into her arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered, stroking the cat's head and ears but only managing to smear red stains across the white fur. Kari sobbed again as Gatomon stirred slightly and looked up at her with unfocused cerulean eyes before she fell into an uneasy sleep.

Whatever Kari did, she knew she couldn't go against her father. She couldn't allow Gatomon to be harmed further for her actions. Silent tears streamed down her face as she walked over to her bed, her digimon cradled carefully in her arms, and wrapped a blanket around the both of them. She knew she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night.

Today she nearly had her freedom and now she's found that tomorrow would snatch it away forever.


	3. To Despair

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

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**Chapter 3 – To Despair**

A few weeks had passed since Kari had been told of her betrothal to the Imprecatian prince and her spirit had been broken because of the arrack on Gatomon. She was watched constantly unless in her private rooms and whenever they had to travel outside of the palace walls, even if only to the front step to compare the colour of banners to be hung on the day, Gatomon was taken from her as collateral, meaning if she did anything she shouldn't then Gatomon would pay.

At first it seemed surreal but the sounds of the servants rushing around the place to make sure everything was in order for the prince's impending visit beat into her that it was happening and soon. Gatomon tried to cheer her depressed human up and tried to ebb the guilt she felt about what happened to her but it was to no avail and was too dreading the wedding.

The prince of the Imprecatians was visiting with his father to see if Kari would make a suitable bride for him, which unfortunately for Kari she was. All tales of her recent escape attempt had been a closely guarded secret of the palace on pain of death to anyone spreading rumours and the rest of her skills were attractive to any potential suitor.

She was heir to the prosperous kingdom in the world, talented in the arts, sciences, weaponry, and she was beautiful. Her Elvin blood was highly prized because the Elves were one of the most respected races of people due to their intelligence, grace, and beauty. There was always a lingering bitterness because of her situation.

There were times when she could almost believe she was free and she treasured those memories above all others. She had befriended a kitchen boy, much to her father's disapproval but allowed the friendship to continue in hopes that his heir would be dissuaded to attempt to run away.

He was a year older than her and had the blondest hair she had ever seen, like the elves of the south. He had azure eyes that were full of interest and compassion and she always thought that they seemed to glow, as they were so bright. His digimon partner was a Tokomon. Gatomon, who was a Nyaromon at the time, had made friends with Tokomon quite quickly and would laugh and play together all the time.

They were good friends – best friends – and she trusted him completely. She trusted in him so much that one day she confided in him that she was going to try and escape the next day, just after the sun had set. She had warned him to make sure he wasn't at the palace because her father might blame him otherwise. She was concerned for his safety.

He wished her luck and told her about one of the servants' passageways hidden behind the portrait of her great-grandfather. He told her that it leads to the servants' garden and if she climbed the wall she would find herself in the orchard.

She had beamed her thanks to him and kissed his cheek friendlily, before running off with Nyaromon. The next day, just before sunset, there was a knock on her door. When she opened it there was nobody there, only a small package of brown paper tied together with string. She picked it up and carefully closed the door behind her.

Nyaromon had asked her what it was and she answered that she didn't know. She had placed the package on her bed and lifted her dress up slightly and pulled out a dagger from her silk anklet.

She cut through the string and the paper fell away, revealing a small silver hand mirror. It looked old and beaten but also loved and cared for. She picked up the mirror and a small piece of paper fell out. She picked it up and read the wobbly words with care, so not to mistake it for anything else.

_Princess Kari, this may be useful in seeing who's around the corners._ _Good Luck._

She had smiled, knowing who had given her the mirror and silently thanked them.

She failed in her escape attempt that night, just like she always did, and when her father found out he decided her friendship with the boy was no longer beneficiary and fired the boy at once, sending him away. Kari never saw him again and regretted that she never learnt his true name.

He had always been Takumi to her because of a fairy story where a boy named Takumi helped free a wood nymph from iron bars and she thanked him by giving him a protective amulet and it reminded her of how she first met him.

She had been making an escape attempt and he saw guards coming down the marble corridors but instead of alerting the guards to her presence, like he should have done, he signalled to her to turn around as guards were coming. For that single action the king could have had his head if he ever found out.

The next day she ordered the boy up to her room to serve her breakfast but when he got there she gave him an amulet to protect him for trying to help free her, as she feared what her father would do to him if he ever learnt that the boy had helped her.

It reminded her of the story and so she had called him Takumi and, as he was only a kitchen boy and she was a princess, he couldn't object and allowed her to call him it. When she was younger and still naïve to the world around her for the most part she had a tendency to boss people around before realising she was becoming just like her father after Takumi was sent away.

She leaned against the window as a lone tear ran down her face, as she remembered her lost friend. She regretted never learning his name. She couldn't find him even if she wanted to. Gatomon walked over to her and put a paw on her back, "You're thinking about him again." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. She nodded; Sometimes Kari was surprised about how well her partner knew her.

She heard a knocking at the door and quickly wiped her tear away, before it opened and her mother's face appeared from behind the doorframe, "Prince Feroc will be arriving soon. You will need to put on one of your best gowns ready for the official meeting. You must wear the family colours. You shall be polite and speak only when spoken to."

"I'm not a child. I'm nearly sixteen and have my own opinions," she complained, strength she didn't have anymore when confronting her father coming through.

"You're right. You are almost sixteen and a married princess does not have her own opinions. She supports those of her husband. You're to be married in three weeks time. You should start getting yourself used to the idea," she said curtly, "I shall send in the handmaids to help you get ready then you shall remain here into you are summoned for dinner."

With that she left the room and Kari had a few minutes to mask her emotions before three of her handmaids came in. Her head handmaid wore a pleated grey skirt and a white blouse. Her face, although pretty, was nothing special. The two less senior handmaid wore the same white blouse and grey trousers.

It was socially acceptable for women to wear trousers and many did, but to the upper class it was a mortifying thought for any women of their social standing to wear trousers. It was unheard of – except for weapons training outfits and also in those kingdoms where princesses were expected to fight, as a dress would be highly inappropriate to go to battle in – trousers made much more sense.

Kari was envious of those princesses who could fight. She was a skilled warrior but only for a few hours each day. She was allowed to train because her father thought it would impress other kingdoms, so her skills were really just for show. She would never see the light of a battlefield rolling ahead of her or feel the adrenalin as she prepared to fight for her kingdom.

No. She was in the palace having to play the timid little princess, just one more reason she felt imprisoned. These thoughts ran through her head, as the handmaid rushed around, layering her up with fine cloth, silks and satin and pendants and broaches, until she looked stunning in the Kamiya family colours of pale blue and silver.

She looked at herself in the mirror and a single tear ran down her cheek. She was a shadow of her former self, broken.

Mai, the head handmaid noticed this and cooed, "Awe, she's so happy she's crying," before leaving Kari alone in the room.

"Kari," whispered Gatomon sadly.

"Look at me Gatomon," Kari said looking in the mirror, "I look in the mirror and I hate what I see. I'm weak. I'm so weak. I've just … given up."

"But Kari, you have been fighting."

"There's nothing left I can do …"

Kari looked down at the colours she was wearing. She hated them. They were nice enough but she would always link them to the reason she was trapped. She was a Kamiya and as such there were rules and restrictions everywhere in her life. Had she been born a peasant she would have been free to come and go as she pleased.

Her favourite colours were browns, greens and reds. They had meanings to her too. Freedom, life and power, but it was not the power over a person, she knew what damage that could do now. She would never find Takumi now because she had power over him. The power she admired was that over your own destiny.

Those colours helped her feel safe. She had them incorporated into her training outfit because of this, which consisted of a top, a cloak and her only pair of trousers. If she could have, she would have worn it to the meeting just to feel the safety that it offered but no … she would wear the colours of imprisonment to the meeting that would decide if she was to be married. It was really just a formality now.

Gatomon watched helplessly as Kari became so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear the sound of the trumpets as the Imprecatians arrived. "It'll work out."

Kari shook her head. "I've caused so much harm, Gatomon. What if I'm not meant to be happy?"

"Don't be stupid, Kari."

Kari gave a rueful smile as there was a knock at the door and a servant informed her that dinner was to be served.

Kari sighed and picked up her crown and exited her room with Gatomon at her side. She was positive that if Gatomon hadn't been there then she wouldn't have been able to leave the room.

As she stepped out the door she kept her face emotionless and tried to do the same with her heart. If she was to survive the night then she had to cut off all emotions. She needed to be the epitome of an ice princess. Four guards, all who had a Bearmon as their partners, escorted her down the marble hallway, one in each direction of her and Gatomon.

As they walked past an odd shape, taller than herself, covered in a cloth being moved through the halls. Everything grew slow and Kari felt her senses suddenly heighten. She could hear the separate breaths of each guard and each digimon and see a strand of hair falling as she took another step and she could feel each separate heartbeat. Drums echoed distantly in time with her heartbeats.

Then, with the echoing knocks on the great door of the banquet hall, she felt herself lurch suddenly back into normality.

"Announcing crown princess Hikari Mitsuko Umika Kamiya, daughter of King Susumu Hiroki Kamiya of Amara," came a rather loud voice of a rather small man stood at the foot of the door.

All eyes at the long turned to her and Gatomon, as she glided gracefully across and automatically took her place at the end of the table to the left her mother, with Gatomon sitting next to her.

As she had suspected, the King of the Imprecatians had the seat to the right hand of her father. The king was a rather large man. He had several fat layers folded over his belt. He was at least seven foot high and his nose protruded a long way over his face and his family colours of navy blue and orange did nothing for his complexion of boils and pimples.

She felt disgusted just looking at him but she hid that disgust well, until he smiled at her with yellow and black teeth sticking out at random angles, making her look quickly down at her food. It was not in hers or Gatomon's best interest to stare at the king.

When she looked up she saw the prince, watching her from the left of her father. He wasn't just watching her, he was examining her to see if she would make a suitable bride, but he wasn't the only one doing the examining. She was looking at him closely. He was around seven foot tall, he was very strong looking and apart from that she couldn't pick out any features that you would call handsome. His face was slightly distorted and he had large bulging eyes, which bulged even more as he looked at her, and he had inherited a greenish tinge to his skin from his orgle ancestors.

She smiled politely at him and when he smiled back she noticed he was missing several of them, also how sharp and serrated they were. He obviously had a lot of orgle blood in him, which meant he was likely to be vicious and stupid. The expression on his face matched her impression that he wasn't going to be very bright, however the Imprecatios nation was very influential and had many natural resources, especially ones that Amara lacked.

She silently went through dinner, whilst the two kings and the prince talked loudly. They were getting on well – a bad sign for Kari. If she wasn't what they wanted they would have been angrily complaining about her father wasting their time. It was obvious that she was everything they had been expecting and more.

It was only towards the end of the meal any of them actually addressed. It turned out to be the Imprecatian king who spoke first, "So princess, what do you think of my son?"

Her father looked at Kari with pleading eyes. He knew that she would never lie to someone so important but he was desperate for her not to insult the Imprecatians. He also had a short temper with her these days.

"He's just what I imagined," Kari said truthfully, politely smiling at the king.

Her father's eyes darkened angrily at her but turned to see if her answer would satisfy his guest.

The king chuckled, "Yes, he really is quite something."

"Yes, he is," Kari agreed.

It was only at the end of the meal the Imprecatians officially agreed to the wedding.

Her fate was sealed.

She felt Gatomon take her hand under the table. Her digimon knew she needed comforting and she was grateful her digimon had been allowed to the dinner, especially as there were no others.

King Mortius clapped his hands and several servants entered carrying a large object covered in a sheet of cloth. It was the same thing she had passed in the hall before everything slowed down and her senses enhanced.

"A gift," he said, "For the future queen of Imprecatios." The servants pulled back the cloth revealing a beautiful mirror but it wasn't the mirror she was focusing on but the king's words. '_The future queen of Imprecatios.' _Those words made her feel sick to her stomach. It made everything sound so final/

It was only later, when admiring the mirror in her room with her mother, that she would learn the importance of the gift.

Kari wasn't a vain girl and because of that she only used a mirror when necessary, partially because of how she felt and what she saw when she looked in a mirror – a girl not following her dream, slowing being defeated by the hopelessness of her situation.

"The carvings in the wood are exquisite," commented the queen.

"Indeed," agreed Kari dully.

She ran her finger across the mirror and the strange sensation of everything slowing down returned and she could hear the steady beating of drums in her head, growing louder and faster and as they did the mirror before her transformed into a swirling mist. Faster and faster went the drums in her head, until they suddenly stopped.

Now in the frames of the mirror she could see a forest stretching out into the distance, as if the mirror was a door into another world. Kari was aware of her mother commenting on the beautiful carving again, seemingly unaware of what Kari could see.

She felt the energy suddenly leave her and fell unconscious to the floor, slightly aware of her mother and Gatomon screaming and the guards rushing in before everything went black and silent.


	4. To Hope

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

* * *

**Chapter 4 - To hope**

Kari awoke from a dreamless sleep and felt the sun burn her eyes as she opened them. She groaned. Her head felt like a horse had kicked it – not that she had ever experienced that but she knew that if it had been then this was how it would feel.

She blinked slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the light, and looked around her room. Everything was the same but somehow everything was different. Everything had changed and she had no idea how or why it had.

What had happened to her? She stumbled to her feet and searched her room for a clue, anything – anything at all – to tell her what had happened. She stopped at her dresser for a long time, staring at the mirror set in it, the sight of which triggered something in her mind. There was a mirror. It was a present…but what for?

"No," she whispered quietly, remembering the dinner. She was going to be married. Was that why everything was so different? Was she seeing everything in a new light? It made sense but it didn't explain her head though. Kari had known that this would happen, that they would accept her as a bride, so why could it be that which had changed everything?

She heard someone knock on the door. The sound sent waves of pain through her head. The door opened and a small cat like digimon walked in.

"Kari! You're awake," she said happily running over to her partner and leapt into Kari's waiting arms, "You scared me so much when you fainted."

"I fainted…?"

"Don't you remember Kari? We were looking at that mirror with your mother. You went all funny as you stared at the mirror and then you fainted. I don't think anyone else noticed but, you're eyes were glowing slightly. I was so worried," Gatomon said burying herself in Kari's arms.

As she did so the events seemed to play before Kari's eyes like flickering images, which seemed to connect to form a story. She had been staring into a mirror and everything seemed slow down then the mirror went all misty and it swirled round and formed a doorway – a portal – to somewhere new, somewhere far away from the palace. And then there were the drums in her head. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't remember the rhythm but she could recall the meaning of every beat – freedom.

"Where's the mirror now?" Kari asked calmly, trying not to get her hopes up, as they had been shattered so many times before and each time it got a little harder to bear.

"The mirror? It…well…it went like this you see…" stumbled Gatomon, after seeing the importance of her answer in Kari's eyes.

"Where is it?" Kari asked, seeing how Gatomon was having trouble answering her question – something Gatomon never did.

"Well after you fainted your mother took the mirror to a seer and he told her that the mirror had been cursed and you had been cursed by it. He told them, your mother and father that is, that to lift the curse they had to have the mirror burnt."

"The mirror's gone," gulped Kari.

"What's wrong Kari?"

"That mirror was…" she began but was interrupted by a knock at the door. A handmaid walked in and noticed that Kari was awake.

"Oh good. You've finally woken up. You're parents have been so worried. I'll go and inform them that you're awake," she said and as quickly as she came she was gone.

"What's wrong Kari?" Gatomon asked, repeating her question.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm getting married in three weeks," the idea still seemed so detached from her life. It just didn't seem real. "…And the mirror is gone. That mirror was our last chance of escape from this place. I think it was a portal, no I'm sure it was a portal."

"But there was nothing there…"

"What? The mirror was swirling and then I saw a forest on the other side and I heard drums…in my head."

"Are you sure it wasn't just the curse."

"I'm sure but it doesn't matter anymore. The mirror is gone."

"Don't say that Kari you've got to have hope. We can still get out of here…" Gatomon said but was interrupted by a knock at the door and Kari's mother walked in, as Gatomon leapt out of Kari's arms. She looked tired. Large bags had formed under her eyes with worry.

"Oh Kari, you're awake. I've been so worried. We had to destroy the mirror. I was so terrified about what King Mortius would think. We must have appeared so ungrateful to him and his son. I was so relieved when he decided not to call off the wedding. Of course we did offer for him to do just that – under the circumstances – but he just wouldn't take no for an answer."

Kari felt a deep rage inside as her mother expressed no compassion for her and was much more interested in making sure the marriage would still go ahead. She could feel Gatomon's rage too but placed a hand on Gatomon to let her digimon know not to do anything. She didn't want Gatomon to get hurt. For all her parents' faults they did truly love each other.

"Now Kari, we need to have your dress made."

"For what?" Kari asked, snapping out of her angry thoughts.

"For your wedding. I've sent for rolls of silk and muslin. We also have the royal dressmaker coming. I was thinking that we should have thousands of diamonds stitched into it. We need to empress people with your dress. We need a long trail, I was thinking fifteen metres, and the lower half of your dress must be big – lots of layers," her mother went on, not stopping for Kari's opinions on anything, and when she was finally finished she had the whole wedding planned, right down to the seating order in the church.

"Mother, I was thinking," Kari said awkwardly, "that we could have a simple wedding dress."

"A simple wedding dress?" shrilled her mother, "how could you even think such a thing let alone suggest it? You are royalty Hikari Mitsuko Umika Kamiya. We have to show everyone that we are wealthy and influential. "

"But mother," Kari tried to say but her mother was already storming out of her bedroom, muttering unladylike words under her breath about her daughter's ungratefulness.

Kari was left reeling in her room. She turned to Gatomon; "You'd think that since I'm being forced into a marriage with the most horrible person that you could ever imagine that I would at least be able to choose my own wedding dress but _no_," she ranted pacing her room.

She flung herself on her bed in frustration, "I'm going to be free of this place," she sighed dejectedly. The pair was shocked. They had always imagined being free and now Kari, who was always so positive, was voicing her doubts.

"We can still escape," Gatomon said, trying to be positive.

"If," Gatomon noticed she said 'if'not 'when' like she used to, "we escape then I will still be married. I will never be free. I could never be with anyone that I fall in love with," she said getting up and walking over to the side of her bed.

They sat in silence for a while as Kari played with a pendant in the shape of a key around her neck, before crossing the room and kneeling down on the floor, tapping the floorboards until she found the one she was looking for. Gatomon watched in interest, as she had never seen Kari do this before. Her partner carefully prised the floorboard up and coughed as it released a plume of dust. She reached inside the gap and Gatomon's blue eyes grew wide as she saw Kari pull out a silver hand mirror.

"You still have that?" Gatomon asked in surprise.

Kari nodded and smiled at the mirror sadly, "I wonder what they're doing now. Takumi always spoke about entering the forests near the Baboa mountains and finding the rumoured witch clans that live there."

"Why would he want to find witches? They're dangerous."

Kari blushed. "They have ruby eyes like I do apparently. He joked about saying he could convince them that I was one of their kind and then an army of witches would ambush the palace to free us."

"They would do that?"

"Tokomon would probably try to befriend the guard first."

"Or steal food from the kitchens."

Kari smiled. "Part of me always imagined finding them when we left."

"You never told me that before," Gatomon said looking at her friend.

"It's just a stupid dream. I'm far more likely to get out of this place than find Takumi. We don't even know his real name. He was a good friend though." Kari looked fondly at the mirror and placed it back in the gap and replaced the floorboard, making it so nobody could tell that it had ever been moved.

"I thought you told me that you broke the mirror years ago, not too soon after your father fired Takumi," Gatomon said staring at the floorboard.

"I wanted to put it with all my treasured items. I haven't opened that floorboard since I put that mirror in but I never forgot about it."

Gatomon wanted to ask more about it but something held her back. She knew Kari was sad but there was something personal about it that Gatomon felt she couldn't ask her about, which was strange because she could talk to Kari about everything.

Kari walked over to her wardrobe and ran her finger along the gash she had made a few weeks before and frowned at her lack of self-control. She tried so hard to make her life perfect and that gash she had made when she lost control seemed to reflect her life. It was out of her control – it had never even been in her control.

She looked up at the mirror set in her wardrobe and saw how defeated and pitiful she looked. She tried for the first time in her life to imagine herself as an obedient princess, maybe she would be happier. Maybe if she crushed that small spark of hope she could learn to enjoy what she had.

"But that isn't me," she whispered so quietly that even she didn't hear herself speak.

No sooner than the words left her mouth she felt everything slow down and then eating of drums began to sound in her head. The mirror began swirling and then everything stopped.

Gatomon looked up, feeling a change in her partner and saw the faint glow in her ruby eyes and watched in panic – unsure of what to do.

Kari could see the forest right in front of her. It was real. She smiled and felt a soft breeze come through the forest and into her room, carrying with it a simple leaf that fluttered into Kari's hands. She looked down at it but when she looked back up there was only a mirror.

"Gatomon, please tell me you saw that."

Gatomon was staring at the mirror and pointing at it with a single claw, "A leaf just came out of your mirror Kari."

"I know but did you see the forest?"

Gatomon shook her head, "All I saw was a leaf come out of an ordinary mirror." Kari looked disappointed; she wanted to shall this with Gatomon.

"This leaf came through the portal," she said looking down at the small piece of hope in her hand, "We are going to find out how this portal works and next time the portal comes nothing is coming through it but we, we shall be going. We're going to be free."

Gatomon smiled as her partner became optimistic once more. There was hope in her eyes.

Sitting with dreary eyes in the palace library many hours later with an armful of books on the table, Kari still searched excitedly. Gatomon had suggested that they go there to find out about the mirror and how Kari could make it work for her again but after hours of searching through books in the library they had nothing.

She'd looked under every title imaginary: Mirrors, hexes, curses, portals, summonings; they had found nothing. How was she supposed to do anything about it when it wasn't in the library?

She leaned over on the table; her head resting on very old and dusty books as time wore on, flicking through several old tombs she found nothing remotely similar to what happened. "You find anything Gatomon?"

The cat shook her head. "I've been looking through a list of Imprecatian relics, there's nothing about that mirror."

"There has to be. I mean the mirror turned into a portal twice …" she trailed off, realising the second time it wasn't the same mirror. "It's not the mirror," she whispered. The portal had appeared in two completely different mirrors and nobody else had seen it, not even Gatomon. If it wasn't the mirror then it had to be her.

She leapt to her feet and selected a different range of books, feeling stupid. They had been searching the wrong books. It wasn't the mirror and curses that caused her to see the portal; it was something else.

She selected books about her ancestry, gifts that only people with certain bloodlines could use, and also if there were any locations that were stronger in magic than others. Glanced over the a few of the titles she had selected: _White witches and their powers, A history of Amarian royalty, magical hotspots of Amara _and a small dusty black book, which fell on the floor when she removed another book to look at, called _Blood and Bones, a guide to the powers of mixed blood._

She gave up looking in _White witches and their powers _after about half an hour. A man who had never encountered a witch personally before was the author. Kari learnt nothing that she didn't know about already. Witches were violent and dangerous and a treaty had been passed to keep the peace between them so long as they did not encroach on the other's land.

She found _A history of Amarian royalty_ quite fascinating. She studied her family tree for ages. The book was damaged and the place where she should have been torn out, as if she had been disinherited but she found it curious to see all the species on her family line.

Tracing her way back from her father's name with her finger she discovered that on her father's side there was Drow inheritance there. Drows were a close relation of the Elves, only more secretive and darker but they were respected. She also discovered that she got harpy blood from her father's side but it was a long way back and even water downed a lot when it entered and as such she had no resemblance to a harpy, except for her feathery hair in the mornings.

Kari was also fascinated with her mother's side. She discovered that she had not only received Elvin blood from her but also wood nymph blood as well but no matter where she looked there was no witches to be found in her family history. So she was left to make her own assumptions on whether she had a witch as an ancestor going back past written records.

_Magical hotspots of Amara _wasn't as interesting or helpful as she thought it might be. She was hoping that the palace might be one, as it would explain what was going on, but when she found the palace on one of the maps it was no where near a magical hotspot, although she did notice one in the great forest and she wondered if it might have been there she had been seeing through the portal.

By the time she moved onto _Blood and Bones, a guide to the powers of mixed blood_ the moon was high in the sky and the library was covered in candles and Gatomon has fallen asleep. She picked up the small black book and brushed the dust of and yawned, before getting on with her task.

It was a simple book and was hand written. It explained how if a person inherited certain traits from different bloodlines then certain gifts that no single bloodline could have became accessible to them. People with human, Drow, and mermaid blood had the ability to become water elementals, while those with only human and mermaid blood had the voice of a siren.

There was nothing relevant to her though. There was nothing about being able to make portals and she let out a cry of desperation waking Gatomon.

"What is it Kari?"

"I thought I was onto something but I was wrong." She flicked through the pages of the fragile book.

"What are you talking about Kari?"

"Wait a minute," Kari said flipping through the pages until she came to the one that she wanted. "See. I thought I saw something. The writings different on this page."

She passed the book over to her partner to prove the point. Gatomon stiffened slightly and her eyes flickered with something. "Do you recognise the writing."

"No but the book's probably a hundred years old anyway. Why would I recognise it?"

"The passage is a message to you."

"What?" she exclaimed and the book back over, reading the message.

_Dear Kari, if you are reading this then I must have failed my promise and failed to get you out of there and you have found my backup. There's a boy who works at the palace as a servant that I have been talking to. The elves have had tales for a long time about woman who are gifted to be able to travel through mirror like a portal to a place of safety._

_They say that the gift can only be accessed in times of emotional distress and also great need. The boy spoke to that the Elves have reason to believe that you have this gift. Good luck._

"Who do you think this was?" the princess asked quietly, running her fingers over the words. "Maybe it was Takumi."

"No. It wasn't."

"You know who it was?"

Gatomon shook her head fervently. "No, but the writings too neat to be Takumi's. He was a kitchen boy remember. He would only have basic literary skills." Kari nodded, remembering the wobbly writing on the note that came with the mirror.

"It doesn't matter," Kari said excitedly, "This is how we're going to get out of here Gatomon. This is our chance."

"But we don't even know how it works."

"But we will and soon. And we'll be gone from here," she replied happily, gathering up the books and replacing them on their shelves and, even as she and Gatomon were escorted back to their rooms by members of the king's guard, she could almost forget that she had less than three weeks to learn how to work the portal before it dudnt matter if she escaped or not.

Almost.


	5. To Dream

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

* * *

**Chapter 5 - To Dream**

Kari walked down the aisle, clutching a bouquet of roses to her chest, her eyes so full of tears that she could barely see where she was going. Gatomon was sadly walking at her side, whispering apologies that she couldn't help her.

People were cooing from their seats unaware of the sadness the bride felt that the day had finally come. The air was sickly perfumed with flowers and her wedding dress was too ornate and elaborate but nobody seemed to notice that. She had spent the first part of that morning trying to tame down the ruffles only to have her mother's maids plump them back up.

The groom turned to face her in his black pinstripe suit and smiled at her, making her remember the grotesqueness of his gums were his teeth were missing. His eyes bulged more than ever as she arrived next to him. Her eyes shut slightly, before she opened them and a bright, fake smile appeared on her face as she saw her father.

She was doing this for Gatomon. Her partner would suffer if she didn't play her part. A shiver went through her as she rememer the digimon's state when she returned from talks with her father.

The priest's words were a blur as she repeated mindlessly all the things that she was told to, until two words echoed around the church in her own voice.

"I do."

Kari awoke from her sleep drenched in sweat and clutching the sheet with clenched fists. She sat up and looked around. She let out a sigh of relief. She was in her own room and what's more, it was only she and Gatomon in it.

She got up and paced her bedroom floor, comforting herself with the gentle rhythm of her movements, accidentally waking Gatomon, who convinced her to tell her about her dream.

"It's OK Kari," Gatomon told her, "You still have a week until the wedding. The portal can still appear. All we need is a mirror and we have a mir…" her word was cut off in shock at the empty spaced on the dresser where a mirror had been sat. The mirror was gone. It had been removed from the room. Gatomon ran into the bathroom and came running out, "That one's gone too!"

"Oh No. Oh no. Oh no," whimpered Kari.

"Calm down Kari. Not all the mirrors can be gone," Gatomon said running to the door and waited whilst Kari got her nightgown on.

Kari opened the door and immediately there were two soldiers at their sides as they quickly raced down the marble corridor and into the ballroom. She swung the doors opened and she and Gatomon looked around.

"Every single mirror is gone," whispered Kari.

The study, the library, the dining room, all of it gone, gone, gone.

"Kari what about…"

"…The hall of mirrors," finished Kari as they rushed to the place that if there were going to be a mirror then they would find it there. Usually it was the most beautiful room, lit up by candlelight that was reflected in all of the mirrors giving it the appearance of somewhere magical but today it was plain white – not a single reflection.

What on earth was going on?

She strode down the corridor with Gatomon at her side. The guards who had to stick with her were giving each other puzzled looks because of the princess' strange behaviour. Kari wanted answers and she wanted them now. She strode all the way to her mother's room.

She knocked on the door and waited a few seconds out of courtesy before entering with Gatomon. Her mother was sitting calmly by her dresser, examining her collection of expensive jewellery.

On seeing Kari she gently placed down a large jewel encrusted pendant and turned to her daughter.

"Where have all the mirrors gone mother?" she asked trying to keep the desperate tone in her voice inaudible.

"Do you remember two weeks ago when you fainted because of that cursed mirror?" the queen asked but did not wait for an answer, "The seer who told me about the curse came to me last night and informed me that it was highly likely that the curse could have moved to any mirror in the palace when the first was burnt. He told me that you would not be safe until all the mirrors were burnt."

"All of them?" Kari asked with a lump in her throat.

"All of them confirmed the queen, "So last night everyone was put to work on burning the mirrors. We collected them all right down to the small mirror tiles in the mosaic room. The safety of our only heir is of the utmost importance."

"I thank you for your concern but I do not believe that destroying the all the mirrors was necessary."

"I believe it was. We can not have the bride getting ill can we?"

"Well then, can I have a new mirror sent for? I must have one to be able to do my hair," Kari asked her mother, her voice wavering slightly in desperation.

"I'm afraid not. The curse can still be lingering in the air for another two weeks. We cannot allow another mirror to enter the palace until that time is up. It is for your own safety. As for needing a mirror to do your hair, we are, for the time being, using a bowl of water if we wish to see our reflection. However we can trust the handmaids to do their job. It is a small sacrifice to pay for your well being."

"Thank you for your concern but I think I shall return to my room for now," Kari said heading for the door.

"Remember that you have a dress fitting at two," her mother reminded her before she left. Once the door was closed the queen sighed a sigh of relief. The girl had believed her. She opened her dresser draw and pulled out a small black book.

It had taken the king's best servants two weeks to find out what the girl had been looking for in the library but now they had finally found it. Unfortunately for Kari the only places she and Gatomon weren't watched were in her bedroom and in the bathroom. The servants had been able to tell that she had desperately been trying to find something out and for her daughter that usually meant a new escape plan.

Of course when they found out they had immediately informed the king. Every single last mirror was to be destroyed, as the princess unknowingly slept through the purge. It was the least they could do to insure the security of their kingdom.

Amara was in a state of celebration because of the forthcoming wedding. There was singing, dancing and all night parties but locked away in her room Kari was not in the celebratory mood. Tomorrow she was getting married and there was no way out of it.

"Maybe it was just a dream," she whispered to herself, as Gatomon was asleep, "Maybe I was never meant to be free," her reflection in the bowl of water before her was distorted by ripples, as a single tear fell from her face, "I guess it was just a dream."

That night she couldn't sleep and she felt physically sick at the thought of marrying the prince the next day. Every time she tried to leave her moves were blocked. It was like somewhere something was stopping her happiness, preventing her from succeeding in what she wished for.

Her hopes had been crushed so many times that she didn't know if she had the strength to keep going.

The next day, dressed in white, Kari pushed all emotion deep down inside her until she felt nothing. It was the only way she was going to get from the day. Her handmaids were busy around her, brushing her hair, arranging the layers of her dress to perfection and selecting pieces of jewellery to add the final shine.

They sighed happily once their task was done and left the room in single file. When the head handmaid reached the door she turned around to face Kari, "I'm sorry about this but I've been given orders by your father to lock you in. I guess he still thinks you're going to try and run away," she said and closed the door behind her, shortly followed by the clunk of the lock.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Gatomon jumping off of Kari's bed and removing the bow she had been forced to wear and replacing it with her usual gold ring on her tail.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? You can't be giving up now Kari – not when you need to be giving it your all."

"What's the point? I'll fail like I always do and end up suffering more than I did before and you end up hurt. I guess I drew the short straw when it came to my destiny – an eternity as a wife to a monster. I wonder what I did wrong?"

Gatomon looked at her partner. She was broken and spiritless and needed some sense talked into her, "Kari. I believe in destiny but I also believe that there are many destinies from which we can choose and the actions that we take now affect which destiny we end up with. If you just give up now then you will pull the short straw in your destiny but if you keep fighting then you can end up with any destiny that you desire. How can you be so sure that you'll fail if you don't even try?"

"I need help," Kari said and suddenly she froze and Gatomon watched her eyes start to glow. "I hear them," Kari whispered, "I hear the drums but how can that be? Unless," her glowing eyes widened as she ran over to her bedpost and pulled up a floorboard and pulled out the hand mirror. Gatomon recognised it as Takumi's gift and smiled slightly. It would seem that it would be used more than seeing around corners.

"How could I have forgotten?" whispered Kari, staring at the old, beaten silver mirror. "Gatomon, quickly get my sword and bow and arrows," she said strolling across the room and picking up her warrior outfit and placing it in a bag. Gatomon suddenly understood what was going on and rushed to get the items Kari had asked for, as Kari herself fetched some jewellery, which they could trade for food, and a small piece of paper from the hole under the floorboard, and they placed the items in the bag.

"Are you ready Gatomon?" Kari asked, slinging the bag over her shoulder and picking up the hand mirror. Gatomon nodded, "Then hold onto me." Gatomon grabbed Kari's wrist and Kari placed her palm on the mirror in which she could see a forest.

Everything seemed to spin around and the bed in front of them swung anticlockwise behind them and to their right the forest swung into view and in the mirror Kari could see her bedroom before it clouded with mist and returned to a normal mirror.

Kari smiled, "We're free." She burst out laughing, pulling Gatomon into her arms and swinging her around. "We're free."


	6. To Meet

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

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**Chapter 6 - To Meet**

The Great Forest of Amara, named so for its great size, was located on the border of the kingdom. Travellers making their way through were usually accompanied by a group of people to try and avoid getting robbed by bandits that lived there.

The trees grew to astonishing heights and some of the older ones, deeper into the forest, required twelve people hand in hand to wrap around the trunk. Shadows were cast everywhere and the light that did reach the forest floor was tinged green from the leaves.

Stories had developed about the woods over time, about the dangerous animals and people who inhabited it. Locals who lived on the outskirts or towns on the edges of worn roads through the forest told their children stories of red-eyed witches and wolves to make sure they did not enter the forest.

It was for those reasons that it was unusual that a man of about seventeen years of age and his digimon partner were walking unaccompanied far from the tracks. The man was tall but not enough so to stand out in a crowd. His blonde hair was messy but without knots, giving the impression those certain parts had flicked back up after it had been brushed on their own accord.

His features, while holding a warm, attractive look did not have the angular grace of aristocracy and that, when added with the glow to his skin that could only be earned by hours under the sun and his callused hands, told that he was not a not a nobleman or anyone in the king's court.

His eyes, identical to those of the small, brownish orange guinea pig type winged digimon that was sat on his head, were a bright shade of azure.

"TK," yawned the digimon, "are you sure we're going the right way? We've been walking for hours."

"I've been walking for hours," corrected the boy, "You've been sitting on my head the whole time Patamon."

"You're legs are longer. We get there faster this way."

TK laughed, reaching up to his head to stroke Patamon. "We'll get there soon enough, besides. It's not like we could get there in a single day."

"I know. You think that Palmon will remember me?"

"Considering we ran from a very heavy bill, I suspect she will. I don't think Mimi will be happy though."

"We're going to pay them back."

"Course we are. That's part of the reason we're stopping there."

TK jerked himself to a halt, silencing himself, just before entering a large clearing. He had seen something. He ducked down and peered through a bush, while Patamon flew up into the tree above and looked down.

He could see two orgles, an elf and a cat like digimon. The orgles looked larger and more aggressive than usual as they advanced on the elf, which was holding a sword in front of her as she backed away with her digimon.

TK looked down at the forest floor and picked up a heavy stone before entering the clearing and sneaking up on the orgles. He used the stone to hit the first orgle in the back of the head to the right, a weak spot in their otherwise unprotected body because most places had an extra layer of skeleton to protect the body and the skull was several inches thick, except in the weak spot where it was only several millimetres thick for reasons that were lost in the past and no longer necessary.

As soon as he hit the orgle it dropped to the floor. It wasn't dead – it took considerable force to kill and orgle – but it would be out for at least half a day and when it did wake up it would certainly have a terrible headache for several weeks.

The second orgle turned and charged at him.

TK groaned and ran towards the trees, the rock still clenched in his hand. He had been counting on the slow reaction time that was famed in orgles. The creatures had traded in mental capacity for brute strength some time back in the evolutionary line but even so it looked as if that even an orgle knew an attack as soon as it saw one.

A heavy club smashed into the ground next to him and clumps of earth flew up and scattered everywhere. TK gulped, knowing that could have just have easily been his head if the orgle had better aim. He picked up his speed and suddenly dived to the right, rolling on the floor back onto his feet, and ran off again in the other direction.

Momentarily confused by the sudden change of direction, the orgle was rooted to the spot as he tried to make sense of what happened before resuming the chase, waving his club violently in the air.

Noticing how the orgle reacted to the change his direction TK decided to use a similar technique and ran behind a tree and stopped behind it before running back out the way he had come from. Again the orgle was confused but this time TK used the orgle's momentary puzzlement to his advantage and hit the weak spot at the back of the orgle's head with the rock.

The orgle didn't fall down and turned to face TK and raised his club high in the air and TK grimly noticed the blood stains on it.

"Boom Bubble," came Patamon's cry as a blast of air hit the orgle's weak spot, knocking him out.

"Thanks Patamon," TK said as his partner landed on his head and feeling victorious walked over to the elf and as he got closer he realised that she wasn't an elf but part human as well, which surprised him because few people were like that. Elves didn't like to marry humans because they live far longer than human lifetimes and would have to watch any child that they had grow old and die before their eyes.

The girl, perhaps a year or two younger than he was, was extremely pretty, with soft, angular features and large ruby eyes. Her cinnamon coloured hair was in a plait that was waist long and held together by red ribbon. Her fringe was made up of straight wispy strands that went down to just above her shoulders. In her fringe she had a braid made of earthy coloured beads that ended in a small tuft of hair and a small white feather.

She her t-shirt was white with red strips across the sleeves and collar, her trousers an earthy brown and her travellers cloak a deep forest green, enabling her to blend in with her currant surroundings if need be. All the materials seemed to be high quality and sturdy.

There was an intimidating air to her, just like her partner digimon, which made her fascinating. It was exhilarating just to stand next to her and some part of that drew him to her and the rest made him want to run away. She held herself catlike, ready to spring into action at any second but still graceful. Her partner, a white cat with a gold tail ring and purple markings, suited her well.

The part-elf had a sword and, even though he could only see the hilt since the sheath covered the rest, it seemed to be of high quality, She also had a longbow, which was slung casually over her shoulder.

"Hi. Are you okay?"

"Perfect," she said shortly.

"This is Patamon and my name's TK."

"And mines not," she replied and began to walk away with her digimon at her side.

TK caught up with her and blocked her path. "No need to thank me," he said trying again, curious about the girl.

"For what?" the girl asked indignantly.

"For saving you."

Her ruby eyes lit up with anger, "So you think I need saving do you?" she asked fiercely and her digimon flexed her claws.

TK, confused by the girl's sudden anger, answered, "Yes."

She gave him such a fierce look that even the bravest person would have run a mile from it but TK wasn't just brave he was stubborn too. Patamon flew behind his head and whispered with a shaky voice to his partner, "I think you answered wrongly."

"You have unusual eyes," he continued, trying to be friendly.

The girl gritted her teeth and her muscles tensed before she turned around, heading down a different forest path than she originally intended, muttering under her breath in a voice loud enough for only her digimon to hear.

TK followed her, intrigued by her manner, "So you're not going to thank me than?" he asked. Patamon rolled his eyes, knowing full well that the girl wasn't going to thank TK.

"No," she snapped.

"But I saved you."

The cat like digimon mouthed the word "ouch" for TK's sake. The girl looked at him as if he had suggested something terrible about her. "I didn't need saving," she growled angrily. "I was perfectly capable of looking after myself, thank you very much."

"It looked like you needed help from where I was standing," TK replied calmly and quietly.

The girl's eyes grew wide with rage and her digimon cringed. "Then maybe you should stand a little nearer before deciding to play the hero," she snapped furiously.

"I don't deserve this," muttered TK loudly, "All I did was save a damsel in distress."

"I am not some pampered princess who needs to be saved," her voice while angry, still held upper-class accent and politeness that intrigued him even more. "I can look after myself well enough alone." Her eyes flickered about, her attention partly drawn away.

"If I needed help then I would have asked for it but you just came blustering in on your own accord, putting yourself at risk for no reason whatsoever. You are the one who needs to be rescued, not me," she said and flicked her wrist, sending a concealed dagger flying out, and she stalked off as it skimmed TK's ear.

This time TK made no attempt to follow the girl. He simply shouted after her, "You missed me. Talk about gratitude," he mumbled.

Peeved, the elf girl spun around and shouted back, "I wasn't aiming for you."

TK bit his tongue to not reply back rudely as he thought about what she said. "What did she mean by that Patamon?"

"I don't know."

TK turned around to leave, when a silver glint caught his eye. Curiosity getting the better of him once again, he examined the dagger embedded on the tree behind him. The dagger felt warm in his hand because of the close contact to the girl's skin as he his fingers around it and pulled it from the trunk.

He looked at it wide-eyed in disbelief. Suck to the end of the blade was a bug around the size of his fingernail. It had a blood red sting pointed outwards, as if it was about to sting something – or someone. "Infrido bug," he named it with a shaky breath.

The bugs, while extremely rare, were vicious and had deadly stings that had enough poison in them to safely kill at least five full-grown males. If the bug had stung him then he wouldn't have lasted through the hour.

"Wow TK. I think she save your life," said Patamon, "She must have a really good shot."

"I think you're right," he said and kneeled down on the floor and wiped the bug off in the grass. When he got to his feet he ran through the trees to catch up with the mysterious girl. He stopped, panting before her and half bent over to catch his breath, and friendlily said, "You forgot your knife."

The girl looked at him and admired his persistence. Her expression softened slightly from the hard one that she had previously wearing and took the dagger from his hand, her hand slightly brushing his and sending unwilling tingles up his spine, and uttered a soft, "Thank you."

The intimidating and harsh girl disappeared for a second, until, as she replaced the dagger inside her sleeve, he saw the cold flash of steel, indicating more hidden weapons. It didn't take an expert to know that this girl was serious.

She silently walked ahead, her digimon watching her movements from her side, and she gently removed her bow and held it in her hand and reached down her back and pulled four arrows out of her quiver. She ran each one gently through her fingers, learning the weight and balance of each one, before lining them all up on her bow.

"What are you doing?" asked TK.

"Shhh," she said a moment before releasing the arrows, which cut through the air like a sharp blade and lodged themselves into a tree trunk. The spaces between the arrows were just larger than a metre each and they managed to stretch high enough to reach the lower branches.

The girl immediately pulled herself unto the first arrow, which just took her weight, curving slightly under her. She pulled herself up one arrow to another until she reached the first branches, while her digimon partner agilely climbed up the side of the tree, her claws leaving marks in the bark and waited on the lower branches for the girl.

"What are you doing?" TK asked the girl again when she began to walk across a branch instead of going up.

"I can keep an eye on you from up here. It's safer in the trees as well. There's dangerous creatures that come out once it gets dark, anyway climbing trees is fun."

"So you're just going to sit in a tree until sunrise," said TK pulling a face.

"Sounds boring," added Patamon.

"Of course not," the girl said pulling herself onto the first branch, "See how the branches of the trees overlap? You could walk from one side of the forest to the other without putting a foot on the floor."

To demonstrate her point she hopped from the branch she was on to the branch of a nearby tree and continued on her way through the forest, with TK walking below.

"So what are you doing in the forest?" TK called up, "A girl like you should be part of a wealthy family going to balls and dances and not climbing trees in the middle of a forest."

"I don't think that's any of your business," the girl called down to him.

"I never got your name," he shouted up.

"That's because she didn't give it," her partner digimon shouted down. It was the first time he had heard the cat digimon speak and he was beginning to think that it couldn't. The cat's voice had the same upper-class accent and cool tones of her partner but also carried a slightly superior drawl that the part elf lacked.

"Will you perhaps giving it to me now?" he asked persistently.

"Perhaps," mused the girl.

"Is that a yes?"

"No."

"So it's a no," TK said disappointedly.

"No. It's a perhaps I will tell you if you leave me alone."

"That's not a fair deal," complained Patamon.

"I think it's a great deal," purred the cat like digimon, hopping to the next branch.

"Well I'm not leaving anytime soon."

"Why not?" demanded the girl in the trees.

"Because I have to go this way to see the oracle."

"Why would you want to see her?" asked the girl, unable to keep the curiosity out of her voice. While many people travelled to see the Oracle there were many reasons and few found her, meaning only those who were most persistent met her and they were usually the ones with the most important objectives to learn about the future.

"We're on a mission for the king," Patamon shouted out.

The girl and her partner stiffened slightly. "And what would the king of Amara wish for you to do when he has legions of trained soldiers, magicians, and spies at his command." There was a harsh edge to her voice when she asked the question that sent a chill down the boy's spine.

"We're on a mission for King Ashnark of the western elves, in the Baboa Mountains. I'm to find Princess Hikari and escort her to him." The girl came to a sudden halt in the trees and her digimon leapt over to her.

"And why does he want her?" she asked coldly.

"Because she is to lead us to victory in the war against Amara."

"What war?" asked her digimon seriously.

TK shook his head. "Where have two been? The whole world has been split into fractions. There's those who side with Amara out of fear or because they wish to gain the benefits that come with siding with them and everyone is fighting for their freedom."

"That's impossible," hissed the girl. "King Susumu wouldn't invade other countries. Amara has always been a peaceful country."

TK laughed bitterly. "Peaceful, perhaps near the palace but corruption is everywhere. The king's own guard steals from the villagers. This war has been a long time coming. The attacks on Sangrar and Imprecatios were only to be expected."

"What?" asked the girl in genuine confusion. "Why would Amara go to war with the Imprecations? The princess's wedding was going to insure a peace treaty between the two lands."

"But the princess didn't get married," explained Patamon.

"After the princess left," continued TK, "The Kind Susumu operated a coup against the Imprecations. King Mortius and his son are dead, along with all the country's leaders. They're headless in the war. Sangrar isn't far behind them."

"But why do you need the princess?" asked the cat like digimon.

"Because she's the one who sparked this and everyone's saying that she's the only one who can end it. Everyone wants to find her, whether to kill her in revenge or as a figurehead for the troops."

"She'll never go with you," the girl's digimon said confidently.

"She's got what she's always wanted," added the girl, "You've heard the rumours, her title. 'The Runaway Princess'. She has her freedom. Why risk losing it for a war that is not her own? She didn't start this war, even if that's what people claim. She left before it started."

"I don't know," answered TK.

"And does King Ashnark want her? Does he wish to use her or kill her?" she added harshly.

"I wasn't told. All I know is that it's something to do with a prophecy that was made. That's one of the reasons they're saying that only the princess can end it. There was a prophecy made by The Oracle a while back."

"What does it say?"

TK shrugged. "I don't know but King Ashnark does and he seems pretty convinced that Princess Hikari needs to join his side of the war. We're going to The Oracle so that we can learn where she is."

The girl seemed to think for a moment before meeting her partner's cerulean eyes and nodded. She looked down from her place in the treetops at TK and Patamon, "I think we shall go with you. We actually need to see the oracle ourselves too."

"Does that mean that you'll be telling us your names?"

She seemed to think for a moment, "My name's Kari."

"And I'm Gatomon."


	7. To Promise

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

**

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Chapter 7 – To Promise

TK looked up into the trees and made note that the part Elvin girl was still sleeping gracefully and silently in the tree above his head, as he leaned against the trunk, with Patamon snoring gently on his head. He watched her with a puzzled look. She was an intriguing girl and had held his captivation since the first self-confident remark that she had made.

She carried herself like a noble but at the same time she appeared to detest that world. She was not the type to dress up and go to fancy parties, whilst being waited on and not needing to do anything for herself. He remembered her offended reaction when he called her a damsel. She seemed to find the whole idea of being a princess needing help disgusting, which made him assume that she must be of a lower or middle class family, where women were thought to defend themselves.

But that still left the mystery of her fine clothes, they were simple but he could see that they were made from quality material, and also her upper-class accent. Even in her anger she spoke eloquently. It was possible that she came from a noble family but was rejected for some reason, maybe for being an illegitimate child. It would explain everything but the explanation didn't feel right.

A small crease formed above his eyebrows as he frowned. He knew that this girl wasn't going to reveal much of her past and it disappointed him slightly, yet a small thought crossed his mind and smile formed slightly on his perfectly shaped lips. It was going to be challenge. He loved challenges. He looked up at the girl, who was now stirring slightly. 'I'm going to find out about you,' he thought, 'And I hope you'll trust me enough to know.'

He rose to his feet, waking Patamon with the movement, who hovered a foot above his head for a moment, stretching his wings, before dropping back down on TK's head, which had become his digimon's favourite perch over the years.

TK walked through the trees and peered through a rather thick patch of shrubbery and was greeted by a small lake. The crystal water reflecting the sun's rays magnificently into his eyes, as he sucked in his breath in awe. Small wild birds scattered at his sudden intake of air and the water rippled as one bird dragged its feet across the water.

"Wow," Patamon said, flying off TK's head again and flying towards the lake and dropping into it. "It's so warm," he said dreamily, peering into the water and seeing fine, white sand covering the bottom of the lake, laced with silvery fish, both small and big, weaving through some plant life. He flew back to TK, landing on his head and dripping water all over his messy, blonde hair.

"Hey. You're getting me all wet," he said, shaking his head and causing Patamon to fall but he never hit the floor, as he hovered a few inches above it before raising up to face level with his partner, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry TK. But it's really beautiful. There's all these fish." TK raised an eyebrow. "I like fish," Patamon said defensively.

"You better because they'll be good to eat." Patamon pulled a face and TK laughed, knowing that fish was on the list of Patamon's most distained food. He liked them well enough when they were swimming around but put them on a plate and his partner would run a mile. "You can have some of our stores."

Patamon sighed thankfully, glad of the escape from eating the dreaded _fish_. TK stared back at the lake and back at the layer of grime that had accumulated on him over the last few days of travelling and decided that he need a clean.

He looked back up at his strange companion, who was talking to her digimon - Gatomon. "Hey Kari," he called. The girl looked down at him, her ruby eyes as visible as ever. "I'm going for a clean in the lake just through those bushes. Don't go disappearing while I'm gone." She nodded and turned to face her digimon, who apparently just said something that had attracted her attention. TK was curious to their interaction but pushed through the shrubs anyway and removed his clothing before entering the water. He ran his hands through his hair, mixing it with the water, and tried to shift the dirt and grease.

He thought back to how he had landed himself in such a precarious situation, travelling to see the famed oracle so that he could find princess Hikari for the Elvin king Ashnark, with a companion who seemed to be more than she let on about herself, which just happened to be nothing.

Two weeks before, the same day that the princess vanished and the king began the invasions on two of his neighbouring kingdoms. King Ashnark had called him to the palace. He thought nothing of it, since he was loyal to the Elvin king and had a tenuous yet good relationship, with a deep respect lying underneath for each other.

On arrival he had been informed about the currant situation in the Amarian kingdom, the disappearance of the princess and how it had sparked the king to start war on the neighbouring kingdoms, claiming that he would not stop until whichever kingdom kidnapped the princess returned her, while plundering the lands he invaded of anything of value whilst he expanded his own.

TK felt a rage inside, knowing that the princess probably finally ran away successfully and that the king was probably just using it as an excuse to increase his wealth and power. TK remembered how the king had told him that the princess was safe. He'd asked him how he knew. Next thing he knew he was being told that there was a prophesy of the war that was beginning, with the princess right in the middle playing a major role that would decide the fate of the world, as she had the power to lead whichever side she choose to victory.

He then told TK that he had to find the princess and bring her back to the Baboa Mountains. TK felt proud to be trusted with such a mission and knew that whatever happened that Ashnark could protect the princess.

He had spent the last two weeks travelling from the western mountains, through dangerous crags and over crumbling mountain ledges, then across part of the Sangrar kingdom and into the great forest of Amara, where he battled with orgles to win the _contempt_ – not gratitude, contempt – of an Elvin girl, who then saved him from a poisonous beetle and agreed to travel on with him to find the oracle for an unknown reason.

He snapped out of his thoughts and finished bathing before climbing out and drying before replacing his clothes and pushing through the branches of the bushes and coming face to face with Kari. She looked at him with her ruby eyes, seemingly in amusement. "Why were you coming this way," feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. If she had come a minute before then…

Well then he wouldn't have been dressed.

"You were gone a while and I was checking to see if you were dead. Why? Are you feeling embarrassed?" She was definitely getting amusement out of this.

"No. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Just the war. You can go bathe now if you want. I don't have any soap. Sorry."

"Doesn't matter," she shrugged. "It will be easy to find some soap root here." Kari smiled, as she remembered how she discovered it in a book when she was younger. She had been learning how to survive in the wild. Her younger self had been so full of wonder as she made each discovery. Soap root had to be her favourite though. It was an accidental discovery but it filled her with amazement anyway.

Soap root was a special root, several inches thick and grew about an inch and a half under the surface of the ground. It was rough and knobbly on the surface but when crushed it produced a foamy substance with a sweet scent that had the properties of soap. It was a little grittier, though that only gave it the properties of a cleanser.

She had used it lots recently in the last few weeks and was able to unearth some pretty quickly now. She looked up at TK's azure eyes and called to Gatomon, not taking her eyes off TK's as she walked past him and through the bushes to the lake.

OoOoO

Kari stretched her arms out and sat up on the branch. She had become accustomed to sleeping in the tress. She felt far safer in them than if she had been on the forest floor. Not only the animals couldn't reach her while she slept but also any of the soldiers that her father would have sent after her wouldn't be able to get her whilst she was in the trees.

Glancing down at the ground she saw TK getting up. For a moment she forgot who the blonde was and tensed up, ready to be in the defensive, when she remembered the events from the night before. She decided that she better wake Gatomon, still unsure of TK's presence, and promptly gave her friend a little nudge.

Gatomon was alert immediately and her large blue turned towards Kari, before they began scrutinising her.

"What?"

"Usually I can work out what you're thinking but I just can't work out why agreed to go to the oracle with him." Gatomon nodded at TK and Patamon, who were walking to some nearby bushes. Kari knew exactly what they would find there, since the forest had been her home for the last two weeks and she wanted to be sure of her surroundings. She looked back at Gatomon, who was still looking at her.

"So are you going to tell me why you're risking getting caught by him – or do I have to work it out myself?"

"Don't worry. I was planning on telling you. I want to know what this prophesy about me is and who better to ask than the oracle herself? I need to know what it says about me." Gatomon nodded in understanding.

"We still can't trust them."

"He will be of use. We can learn how many people are searching for me and if we do encounter anyone else then I doubt they will suspect that the Amarian princess is travelling with one of the very people who are trying to find her."

"So you're using him?" smirked the cat.

Kari brushed her hair out the way of her eyes. "He'll get my protection in return and maybe some answers to his curiosity."

"But what happens when the oracle tells TK where you are? He'll catch you."

"Not if I speak to the oracle first. We'll be long gone before he gets his answers."

"But," began Gatomon but was cut off by a new voice.

"Hey Kari," called TK, grabbing Kari's attention.

"Speak of the devil," muttered Gatomon, causing a small smile to appear of Kari's face as she listened to TK.

"I'm going for a clean in the lake just through those bushes. Don't go disappearing while I'm gone." Kari nodded.

"He reminds me of Takumi," Gatomon said thoughtfully, as she mentioned Kari's childhood friend. Kari span round to face her digimon, a look of puzzlement etched to her face.

"What makes you say that?"

"I not quite sure," mused Gatomon, "But his mannerisms are the same – and that stubborn streak," she said, thinking of how he was determined to acquaint himself with Kari when they met him not even a day before, "And don't you think he looks similar, older but similar. He's appears to be the right age, about seventeen right?"

"There are a lot of people who would look like Takumi would at this age, Gatomon," Kari said stubbornly. "Besides, Takumi's long gone," Kari said sadly, pulling the mirror the kitchen boy had given her out of her bag and gently stroking the object that had become her most prized possession, even more so than before when it had been her most prized possession but that was for a different reason.

She frowned, replacing the mirror back in her bag as she recalled the idiocies of her past. She had been foolish enough to believe that her way was the right way because of how she had been raised and because of it she had lost her only friend besides Gatomon and it shamed her.

Gatomon watched her human's expression and could tell she was going through her memories of her only human friend. Sometimes she wondered how much Kari could remember. What she did know was that Kari loved him. She wasn't sure if she had been _in _love with him though. She had only been eleven at the time, when you couldn't easily tell what really was love and what had the possibility to become love.

Kari leaned back against the tree trunk, remembering a promise she had made years ago between her and Takumi.

_An eleven-year-old Kari ran through the palace happily with a toothy grin, Nyaromon hopping at her side. The palace had seemed so much brighter the last few weeks, as the princess lit up the halls with her heart-warming smiles. Somehow the princess's happiness was enough to make all the palace workers happy too. The sight of her bounding happily along the palace had come as a shock to people and they began to enjoy the new and happy princess._

_Kari burst into the kitchen. "Taku," she called, using the shortened her friend's false name. "Where are you Taku?"_

"_And Tokomon," called Nyaromon, wanting her friend to come too. The kitchen staff smiled at the two and asked if there was anything that they wanted._

"_Just my friend," smiled Kari._

"_Princess Hikari," her friend said entering the kitchen and found himself flat on the floor with the princess's arms around his shoulders, as she had jumped so strongly into his arms. "Princess Hikari?" he asked, a barely visible blush spread to his face unnoticed by the princess._

"_Sorry," she apologised, getting off of her friend and pulling him to his feet. "And it's Kari. We're friends aren't we?"_

"_We are Princess Kari," he said meeting her halfway._

_She furrowed her eyebrows slightly but said nothing. "Come on. I wanted to show you something," she said grabbing his wrist and pulled him behind her as she ran out the kitchen, sticking her head back round for a second to the amused kitchen workers. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing Taku," she beamed before disappearing again, her laughter echoing through the palace._

"_Princess Kari, I'll get in trouble if I don't do my job."_

_Kari shook her head. "Don't worry. You won't get in trouble because I told you to come."_

_Takumi nodded, unable to argue since she was his superior. "Where are we going?"_

"_It's a surprise," she said as they ran out into a large open courtyard made of a grey marble and small white pebbles for pathways. Her foots crunched along one particular path leading into the centre of the courtyard. _

_He paused. Was he, a kitchen boy, allowed to be in a place so fine? He knew the king did not welcome his presence but merely tolerated because of the change in the princess. He only just got away with wandering the marble halls of the palace with the princess but would he be allowed in one of the courtyards._

_Kari turned back to look at him and her smile faltered, seeing him look so worried and nervous. She knew that he was still uncomfortable when in her presence, not because of her but because he feared her father. Her ruby eyes filled with concern and she gently returned to his side and slid her hand into his._

_He looked up at her, blushing more profusely than the last time and, although the princess noticed the blush this time, she put it down to embarrassment. She looked into his gentle sapphire eyes for what seemed like an age before telling him, "Everything will be alright." She didn't break the connection between their eyes for a few minutes, before looking away and pulling his hand, "Come on." _

_He watched the back of her head as he walked across the pebbles until they reached a large pond with a fountain in the middle made from white marble._

_The princess leaned forward looking for something in the water filled with a multitude of different fish. After a while her eyes showed a flash of recognition. "Look there," she whispered, pointing out two fish. As they swam close he could make out what looked to be a type of carp but they looked more elegant and beautiful than normal carp. They seemed to hold a magic of their own. As they drew closer he could see that one was pure black with a diamond of white on its forehead and the other, slightly bulkier than the first, was pure white except for a diamond of black on its forehead._

"_They're beautiful. What are they?" he asked, watching as the fish swam together and never going more than a few inches apart._

"_They're Koi fish and they represent love and friendship. That's why I wanted you to see them," she said smiling up at him. Before looking back down at the fish. "I like these two the best," she sighed, "They're opposites but they're the same, always together. Like us."_

'_Takumi' tried to ignore the heat rising to his face. Just what was the princess trying to say? The princess turned to look him in the eyes but this time they were uncertain. "Will we be together always?_

"_I don't know," he said and noticed the downcast look on the princess's face. "But I promise to try and make it so, as long as you want it to be that way."_

"_Then I do too. Pinkie promise?" she said holding up her outstretched pinkie._

"_Pinkie promise," he said, interlocking his own pinkie with hers and they jerked their hands slightly downwards. They sat in a companionable silence for a bit, until Kari's eyes flickered wide open in surprise, as she exclaimed, "We left Nyaromon and Tokomon in the kitchen!" _

_She dragged him to his face and pulled him through the palace, running in a manner that she would be scolded for later, to get back to the kitchen, only to be met with a major catastrophe caused by Nyaromon's playfulness. _

She never really kept that promise properly, even though she had practically forced the boy into it. She didn't really do as much as she could have done. After she left the palace she realised she could have easily asked the kitchen staff what Takumi's real name was and what happened to him but she never tried to do so. She also realised she never realised that she hadn't learnt much about what kind of life the boy had outside of his work.

She had been a bad friend, she supposed. She took a lot more than she gave in their friendship and he had only been too happy to try and keep her entertained.

She shook her thoughts away from the depressing place they were heading and, glancing down, noticed that TK was still gone. "I'm going to check those two," she said to Gatomon, "He's been gone a while now."

She looked down to the ground and guessed that it was too far for her to jump, safely that is. She flicked her wrist and a small dagger flew into her hand. Gatomon rolled her eyes at the trick that had been done so many times before and also the excited glint in her partner's eyes at the flash of metal.

Kari plunged the blade into the tree, checking its strength, before she lowered herself off the branch and let the knife drag down the trunk, slowing her down enough for her to land safely on the floor with a gentle thud.

She replaced the knife in her sleeve and looked at the scar she had made running down the beautiful tree and felt almost guilty. As she was about to push through the bushes, TK emerged and found himself face to face with her and she thought about how awkward he must be feeling and she found it amusing. "Why were you coming this way," he asked and she saw him flush a bit.

"You were gone a while and I was checking to see if you were dead. Why? Are you feeling embarrassed?" Kari was really amused now. It was fun watching him fluster and think of how to respond.

"No. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Just the war. You can go bathe now if you want. I don't have any soap. Sorry." Kari felt a slight pang of guilt, knowing full well that now her father had claimed war in her name, but it subsided, as she knew that her father would have proceeded with war anyway.

"Doesn't matter," she shrugged, turning her thoughts back to what was said. "It will be easy to find some soap root here." Kari smiled, soap root being a favourite of hers, and looked up at his eyes, searching them any hostility and was met with only open kindness, making her feel guilty for the fact she was using him.

She could tell he was holding his breath at her unexpected gaze but she held it, her eyebrow crumpling slightly as she tried to work out the nagging familiarity she felt. "Gatomon," she called, still searching his eyes. They were familiar, maybe they were like Takumi's but then again she had met many people as a princess and he could be any number of them. She walked past him and through the bushes, leaving TK to recover from her penetrating gaze.

"What did you see?" asked Gatomon, already able to tell the exact reason that Kari had held TK's gaze.

"His eyes were familiar but there's no telling whose eyes they were similar to," Kari answered reluctantly, as she pulled the soap root from the ground with a soft grunt. Gatomon immediately hopped away and returned with a flat stone, that curved slightly inwards, and a round stone that fitted perfectly in Kari's palm. She handed both to her partner, who then cut away part of the soap root and place it on the flat stone and proceeded to crush it up with the rounded soap, as it excreted a fragrant soap.

She laid the dish aside and began to undress, finally removing the ribbon from her plaited hair before lifted in the dish and entering the lake. "You coming Gatomon?" she asked. Unlike cats, cat like digimon enjoyed water and her partner willing came to her side and slipped into the water. Kari smiled and hugged her friend. "I'm so glad you're with me," she whispered.

"I know."

"Can you hold this a second?" she asked handing the dish with the foamy substance to Gatomon, plunging under the water, soaking her hair through as it floated around her like a veil. For a second the veil parted and revealed a horrible red scar and Gatomon flinched, remembering how much pain her young friend had been in.

She had been so scared for the young princess but she healed slowly until only a scar had been left, although that scar ran more than skin deep. She wasn't quite sure if the princess would ever be able to recover fully, seeing the cruelties of the world at such a young age.

She looked down at her own hands, covered by gloves. Kari wasn't the only one who had been scarred and punished. She shivered, remembering how the wounded and ashen-faced princess had tried to rise from her bed to prevent her own punishment.

"Gatomon?" asked the princess, looking down at her concernedly.

"I'm fine. Just remembering."

"Don't worry. We're safe now. That's behind us and we're never going back," she said in a soft but determined voice, as she locked eyes tenderly with her partner. Gatomon smiled and held out the dish to let Kari take some of the foam and run it through her hair and over her face.

Kari looked down and saw the cat like digimon still had a slightly sullen face. She flicked some foam at Gatomon, causing her to sneeze. Kari laughed and Gatomon tried to look annoyed but a smile spread across her face, just like she hoped it would. Kari took the remaining soap and ran it through Gatomon's downy fur and drizzled water over her head to wash it out.

They climbed out of the water a few minutes later and Kari redid her hair in the same way and toyed slightly with the beads and feather until she was dry. With unspoken words the pair agreed that it was time to return and pushed through the pushes. "Let's go," she said, commanding TK and picking up her bag, subconsciously checking to see if it had been looked in as she walked off.

"So you know the way to the oracle?" he asked.

She stopped in her tracks. The way to the oracle? "No, you do though," she said, "And you were travelling in this direction last night. So assume that this is the right way."

"Actually I don't know the way," shrugged TK.

"What?"

"He said that he didn't know the way," Patamon answered, earning a small glare from both the princess and her partner.

"Why didn't you say so last night?" asked Kari, now glaring at TK.

"You didn't ask," TK shrugged, his carefree attitude beginning to bug Kari.

"Then how are we supposed to find her?" growled Kari.

"I've got a contact in the next town. He knows the location and I plan to do some bartering with him for it. There's few people who know her location and fewer still who are willing to reveal it."

"So we're going on a wild goose chase?" asked Gatomon.

"Yep," nodded Patamon happily. Kari would have left then and there, if she hadn't been so concerned over what the prophecy was.

"Fine," agreed Kari. "Lead the way," she added reluctantly. TK smiled at her. "What?"

"You aren't so bad are you?" he asked.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded, clenching her fist. TK looked at her sleeve, remembering the hidden weapons she had.

"It just means that you aren't as rough and scary as you make out – still pretty intimidating though."

"Is that so?" asked Kari. Only Gatomon, who knew Kari the best, could notice the slight softening in her voice. 'This shall be pretty interesting," the digimon thought, knowing that subconsciously Kari was a good judge of character. If she was softening that meant that TK wasn't a bad guy, maybe even trustworthy of their secret in time – if he wasn't on the mission that he was on.

"Yes," TK said, picking up his own bag and buckling his sword around his waist and beginning to walk through the trees. Patamon flew down from his head and started talking to Gatomon and Kari could sense that he wanted to be friends; she had already decided that both boy and digimon seemed to have a friendly disposition.

Kari walked half a step behind TK so that he could lead the way but she wasn't completely following. Sixteen years of being trained to be the superior of everyone else she met demanded that she not be subservient to anyone.

"I just realised that I don't know very much about you," TK said turning to Kari. "May I ask you what work you do?"

"You may."

"So…"

"I said you could. I didn't say you'd be getting an answer."

TK gave out a small laugh. "I can see that it's not only going to be a pleasure but a task getting to know you."

"That it may but may I ask why you are doing this task for king Ashnark?"

TK's eyes fazed out and a small smile appeared on his face. "I'm keeping a promise that I made a long time ago to some one very special." Kari nodded and they walked on in a comfortable silence.

OoOoO

TK sat by the pond watching the princess. It had become a habit that everyday they would go out and play before visiting the Koi fish. He could hear the water splashing gently as she ran her fingers through the water, when all of a sudden she froze up.

Her eyes were full of fear. He turned in the direction of her gaze and saw the king. His eyes were angry as he shouted at one of his advisers as they walked through the courtyard. His digimon was nowhere in sight, which could be considered a blessing as it scared the life out of everyone.

The king turned and glared at him and then his smouldering gaze landed on the princess. Her scared eyes looked back and she began to shake, not understanding why her father held such contempt for her. TK felt her pain. His own father had rejected him but he hadn't told her that. There was too much pain in her life already and, although he was only twelve, he knew how hard it was to be burdened with other peoples' problems…

As her father vanished through a set of doors, he saw her eyes become resolute and once again the strong eyes that he had grown to know so well. She turned to him. "Promise me something," she told him.

"I will."

"When I escape one day, you'll come and find me and make sure that my father never takes me back."

"I promise princess."


	8. To Change

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

* * *

**To Change**

"I don't understand you," he said dejectedly. "You're so secretive."

"A girl can have her secrets," she replied.

"Please tell me."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Come on."

"I said no."

"I won't tell anyone else."

"What part of no don't you understand?"

"The 'no' part." There was a pause. "So why can't you tell me?" he persisted.

"You wouldn't understand. It's too complicated."

"I doubt it."

"Well then don't."

"What's so complicated about catching fish?" Patamon asked his feline companion, looking at Gatomon's pile of fish for their tea and his own pile, consisting of one measly fish that couldn't feed an ant. "Come on. You've got to tell me how you do it."

"If I do will you shut up?" she asked, examining her claws impatiently.

"Alright, I'll do it. Now tell me how to catch the fish. I want to impress TK," he said, a large grin spreading across his face.

"The secret is…I'm a cat type digimon, which makes catching fish second nature to me. Where as you are a hopeless flying guinea pig."

"I am not a guinea pig," Patamon said angrily.

"Uh, uh, uh," Gatomon said waving a claw in front of his face. "You promised you'd be quiet if I told you how to catch them and I did."

"That whole "catching fish is second nature to me" doesn't count."

"Yes it does. Now help me take these fish back to Kari and TK before she rips his head off," Gatomon said, taking a bundle of fish in her arms and turning back to Patamon, "and leave the guppy."

Patamon looked at his pathetically sized fish. "I thought it was a good fish," he mumbled, picking it up anyway.

-

Kari hit the two pieces of flint together, eventually a small spark landed on the dry grass she had placed below. She shielded it with her hands and blew on it gently; eventually a small orange glow became visible. Continuing her actions patiently, the glow suddenly burst into flame and the princess placed some bark near it, gradually building up the fire until she had it going with several logs.

She smiled to herself before standing up and walking into a denser part of the forest and out of sight, before returning momentarily with several large sticks. She set them down on the dirt floor next to the campfire gently and pulled her sword from its hilt.

The ruby blade appeared to glow in the dull evening light, with brighter patches of light forming intricate patterns that looked similar to ancient runes. She spun the sword around in her hand, getting used to the weight after not using it in a while.

Suddenly she stabbed the blade into the ground and twisted it. Upon removing it a reasonably sized hole was revealed. She smirked, before repeating the action on the other side of the campfire. TK, whose attention she had attracted with her strange actions, watched as she sheathed her sword and picked up two of the sticks. He now noticed that they were forked at one end, which seemed to be a deliberate choice on his companion's part, as she placed one in each hole with the forked side up.

'What is she up to?' he thought.

She trod on the end of the third stick she had collected and it flipped into the air, only to be caught by an expectant hand. The third stick was long and thin but Kari appeared to be dissatisfied with the rough end and pulled a dagger strapped to her ankle – 'How many of those things has she got?' TK thought with wide eyes – and began to sharpen it with her blade, only stopping once a nice sharp point had been formed.

Once she was finished, she looked in TK's direction, her ruby eyes darkened when she realised he had been watching her and he quickly looked away. She sank down onto a moss covered log, that must have fallen a long time before and sat leaning forward with the stick supporting her weight. She occasionally shuffled, shifting her weight so that she was more comfortable.

Nothing happened for a while until –

"I thought I told you to leave the guppy," screeched Gatomon through the trees.

"But it was the only fish I caught," whined Patamon.

There was a shuffling in the bushes and the two digimon appeared, one with an armful of fish and the other with a pathetically sized morsel of a meal. "Thank you Gatomon," Kari smiled warmly, taking the fish off her hands and carrying them to her log and setting them down. She lifted up her stick and began skewering the fish onto it – politely accepting Patamon's 'guppy' much to Gatomon's distain – pushing the point she had made through the middle of the tails.

Suddenly everything she had been doing made sense to TK and she rested the spit on top of the fire, getting up every now and again to rotate it above the crackling flames.

"You're very resourceful, aren't you?" asked TK friendlily. Despite the fact that they had been travelling for two days they had barely spoken five words to each other at a time, although he had noticed that she seemed much warmer when speaking with Gatomon than the cold person she was to them.

"You got to be when living alone, well with only your digimon anyway," she answered, checking the fish again. Warmth wrapped into her words slightly as she mentioned Gatomon.

"Where do you live anyway?" asked TK.

"Everywhere and nowhere," Kari answered cryptically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Patamon asked, landing on Kari's head for the first time. For a second she tensed up but made no move to protest.

"It means we live everywhere but we have no real home," Gatomon explained, staring at the fish, "I think they're ready."

Kari nodded and removed the spit from the fire, as Gatomon retrieved some hand-carved wooden bowls from her bag.

"We lived like that for a bit," TK replied, surprising Kari. He didn't appear to be the type to live rough. "But that was when we were younger and before King Ashnark took us in."

'So that's why he was with the elves,' thought Kari. "Why were you homeless?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I worked at this inn up in the Aransaw city for a couple of months when I was younger and while it's not as big as the main city there was enough trade. The pay was good and it provided room and board for my mother and me but when I was out collecting food the king's guard came …" he paused and a pained look crossed his face.

"They wanted fifty percent of the profits that my boss made and when he denied the place was torched. My mother was still inside the building when that happened."

"I'm so sorry," Kari whispered, wondering why she had never heard about this. She knew there was corruption but she didn't think there was murder.

"It's not your fault."

Kari fought the urge to shale her head and scream that it was but she wasn't supposed to have any relations with the princess.

She stood up and handed him one of the bowls of fish. He noticed now that there was some type of wild mushroom with it and wondered when she had collected them. "Eat. You're going to need your strength tomorrow when we reach that town because as soon as that friend of yours tells us where the oracle is then we're not stopping until we get there."

TK smiled to himself at her unspoken peace offering. They weren't exactly going to be friends but she wasn't going to act so antagonistic either.

He was grateful for that but she sounded like someone who worked her for what she got and never took no for an answer, so there was no way he was going to tell her that his 'friend' wasn't _exactly_ a friend and negotiations for the oracle's location would take more time than she might have been led to believe at first.

"Hey," squealed Patamon, "Where's my guppy – I mean fish?"

"Don't worry," Kari said, in a notably kinder voice than the one she used with TK, although not nearly as soft as the one she used with Gatomon but then again you're supposed to be closest with your digimon partner since you share the same soul – that didn't mean they were the same person though, you could get digimon that were the complete opposite of their partner. "I've got your fish here. Do you want it?"

"Nah, it's okay if you eat it because I don't like fish. Just don't throw it away, like somebody suggested," he eyes flashed over towards Gatomon, who smiled teasingly at him and he felt heat rise to his face for a second and his heart miss a beat. 'What was that?' asked Patamon to himself silently. 'I probably need to start eating healthier. My heart is starting to pack up.'

"So Kari. What do you do for a living?" asked TK.

"What do you mean?" asked Kari suspiciously.

"It's just your sword. It looks like it's Elvin made and by the looks of it only king Ashnark's own sword would give it a run for its money, also it's imbued magic, isn't it? I'm just wondering how a homeless traveller could afford such a sword."

Kari had to think quickly, lest her identity be revealed. A nobleman would not be able to afford such a sword, in fact it had been the most expensive thing her parents had ever bought for her, as a bribe for her to remain at the castle knowing how much she adored her blades. She looked up at TK and said the only thing that she could possibly say. "I'm a thief."

Gatomon smiled. In a way it was true, Kari had stolen her family heirlooms when she ran away and she didn't specify that it was the sword that she had stolen.

TK found it hard to sleep that night, thinking about what Kari had said. How could such an innocent, albeit slightly terrifying, girl be a thief. It just didn't make sense. Sure he didn't know the girl but the signs were there. She spoke with an upper class accent, her hands were smooth and un-worked, and also a thief wouldn't reveal what he/she was because of the penalty that would face them.

No, he was positive – she wasn't a thief but that had the question 'why would she lie?' written all over it.

TK could only think of one reasonable explanation he could come up with was that she came from a noble family and was disowned for one reason or another; maybe she had an affair and her husband found out or she was barren and tossed aside for someone who could produce an heir.

He found it unlikely that that would be the reason she would have been disowned. Kari didn't look the type who would willingly settle down and it wasn't like anybody could force her to marry, only the king had that power.

It could be possible that she did come from a noble family but they were killed in the war and she had nowhere to go. She was probably afraid that he would kidnap her or something if she found out – he was on the opposing side of the war after all. That was probably it.

With that thought in his head he managed to fall asleep.

-

"OK, up you get sleepy head," Kari said to TK, using slight terms of endearment but in his drowsy state he didn't notice. He got up immediately, as he already woke up with a drenching two days in a row and wasn't going to have a repeat the third day, much to Kari's disappointment.

"I'm up. I'm up."

"Good," Kari replied and chucked TK his backpack.

"What's this for?"

"We're getting to that town today if it kills us." TK smiled at the motivation in her voice and began to wonder what it was that she wanted to ask the oracle. It was strange, she never really told him what she wanted to know, in fact, now that he thought about it, she had changed the subject completely.

At first he didn't realise what had happened. She was about to answer his question when she through one of her daggers at something behind him. It didn't hit anything and she said she guessed she must have seen something out of the corner of her eyes.

It wasn't until later that he realised that she had dodged his question and started to suspect that it wasn't so unlikely that she had only been pretending to see something.

The more TK thought about it the more it bothered him. What was it that she didn't want him to find out? He looked over to her and watched curiously, as she buried the remains of their campfire and meal. 'Why is she doing that? Should I ask?' TK mulled over the idea as they began to walk through the forest, the trees rising and falling as the landscape began changing around them. He was about to ask when he noticed something.

"Is it just me or are the trees thinning out?"

"I think you're right TK," Patamon answered in his child like voice.

"Do you think we're at the edge of the forest Kari?" asked Gatomon.

"I'm not sure. Can you check?"

Gatomon nodded and dug her claws into the trunk of a nearby tree and scampered up the side agilely, Patamon deciding to follow close behind.

"What do you see?" TK called, when they had reached the top.

"One second I'm almost there," Gatomon's voice came back, as she vanished into the foliage. Patamon's head appeared next to Gatomon's. They looked forwards and all they could see were trees for miles. "This isn't good."

"What is that?" he asked, pointing slightly left of their eye line.

"It's…" Gatomon said, squinting her eyes in the direction Patamon was pointing, "It's smoke."

"A fire?"

Gatomon shook her head. "No, a town." Her eyes landed on a lighter shade of green, forming a scar through the trees until it reached the edges of the forest. 'A path cut through the forest?'

-

"I've got to go."

"Why brother?" asked the second person in the hay barn. Shadows loomed over them, concealing their faces until they looked more like shadowy outlines than something solid and real.

"You know why. This war isn't good. For all the reasons that people are claiming that they are going to war for in the end the greed fuelling it will keep the war going until something major happens to end it."

"You can't fight. We need you here. I need you here."

Then older brother smiled softly. "I'm not going to fight. I have a promise to keep."

"You're going after her," the younger brother stated in understanding.

He nodded. "There's too much at stake for her to be alone at the moment. This war is going to tear her apart and nobody is going to try and stop it."

"I can't change your mind, can I?"

"No."

"Then I'm going to miss you and you better bring that girl back safely or I'll have your head."

"Don't worry. I will be back and when I am, the princess will be with me – just like old times." With that, the older brother stepped out of the damp hay barn and into the light, revealing strands of dark brown hair. He turned to a separate, smaller barn and spoke to his digimon, hidden in the shadows. "It's time to set things right. I should never have left her."

"No," his partner corrected, "_We_ should never have left _them_."


	9. To Learn

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

* * *

**Chapter 9 - To Learn**

* * *

Kari felt herself losing consciousness. The ash filled smoke was cloying up her lungs and sticking to the moisture of her teary eyes. She could barely see TK next to her. He had been unconscious when she found him.

Patamon had curled up in TK's protective arms and she could tell the smoke was already taking its toll on the small creature, who didn't appear to be moving. Her own arms were wrapped protectively around Gatomon.

She could hear the flames licking at the door and she shuffled weakly over to TK, silently cursing her body for giving in to the smoke. She placed a hand on his chest and was somewhat relieved to find it moving slightly.

She coughed, the ash grating across her throat painfully, and she moved her hand to Patamon's chest and found that it too was moving, although weaker than TK's and – it scared her.

Despite her constant glares she had developed feelings of respect for the travelling pair and certainly didn't want to see them turn up dead. There was a loud thud as a wooden beam gave way and crashed to the floor, where she had been only moments before.

Despite the unbearable heat, she shivered at how close a call it had been but knew that it was just the beginning. She was too weak to carry TK and Patamon out and even if she could the door was blocked _and_ on fire and there were no windows. She could see no way out.

-

**Three hours before**

-

Kari pulled her hood up as they walked around the market place, constantly alert, memorising every step she took and searching for escape routes – should the need arise. She didn't want to be recognised.

There could be someone there that might have seen her before, someone desperate enough to turn her in for a bag full of gold. She was acting suspiciously to anyone who knew her – to everyone else she looked like someone trying to find something in the busy market street. Unfortunately somebody did know her, at least slightly, and unfortunately he mentioned it.

"Kari? Why are you so nervous? You look like you think somebody's going to attack you at any moment," TK said jokingly but still making his point.

"I told you. I'm a thief. If I'm recognised then I'll be locked up and my elf blood doesn't agree with that. I don't like being locked up – not one bit," she told him, silently chastising herself for going too close to the truth, not realising that this was beginning to convince TK that she really was a thief. After all, why would any bother to lock up a disowned girl?

"Don't worry. I won't say anything."

"Good," she said, pulling her hood down further as a pair of soldiers marched by. "Why are there so many soldiers in this place?" she hissed aloud to herself.

"They're probably looking for the princess," TK said simply, unable to see Kari's fearful look under her hood.

"So where is your friend then?" asked Kari, quickly changing the subject, just like every other time the matter of the princess came up. She honestly didn't want to know what TK thought about her because, somehow, it seemed to matter what her blonde haired companion would think. She could end the war just by handing herself in but she was selfish and worked hard for her freedom. She didn't want anything to take that away.

"My friend?" asked TK, looking at a market stall, examining an apple or two, coloured red with an orange tint, before handing the lady the money he owed her for two apples and chucked one into the air for Kari to catch, which she did so gracefully. "I'm not sure where he is so I thought we could, I don't know, ask around for a bit." He took a bite out of the fleshy apple and offered a bite to Patamon. Kari used one of her daggers to cut her own in half, handing the smaller half to Gatomon, before wiping the juices off her own.

She took a bite and suddenly a wave of fire washed over her body and she felt like her tongue was burning. She took her water from her bag and began gulping it down. After a minute she was finally cool enough to pay attention to her companions. TK and Patamon were watching her with amusement and Gatomon was looking from her to her own apple repeatedly. She turned to TK, an angry look in her eye. "What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"Pomme-feu."

"Pomme-feu?"

"Means fire apple." Kari gave him a 'Well I know that now' look.

"And you couldn't be bothered to tell me that before?"

"I thought you would have had one before. They are a pretty common delicacy and travellers do use them to keep warm in the winter."

"But this isn't the winter, this – this is summer."

"They're really tasty though."

"Tasty enough to burn a hole in my mouth."

"So are you going to eat it or not?" asked TK.

"Why?"

"If you're not going to eat it then I will," he told her.

"Then I'm going to eat it," she said taking a bite, not noticing the reverse-psychology that had been used on her. This time though, she was used to the sensation and this time it felt…good?

"Is it safe to eat Kari?" asked Gatomon, looking suspiciously at her own half of the apple.

"Don't worry, it's safe but it does pack quite a punch." Gatomon shrugged and nibbled at the precarious fruit, her eyes instantly watering at the heat. Kari laughed and rubbed Gatomon's head affectionately, messing up her neat fur. "It's better the second time," she said, taking a third bite out of her own fire apple, this time savouring the taste and the warmth it gave her.

When she looked up she noticed that both TK and Patamon were gone. "What…?"

"I think we've been ditched Kari," Gatomon stated, contemplating taking a whole bite out of her apple, not really concentrating on what Kari was saying.

"That little…argh," cried Kari in frustration. "Where on earth is he? We're supposed to be making this journey together."

Gatomon smirked at Kari. "You seem to care a lot about him ditching us."

"Well of course I do. I don't want to be ditched."

"Do you like him?" asked Gatomon, the double meaning layering her words went unnoticed by the princess.

"I guess so. He's an alright person, although I'd never admit that to anyone but you."

"So you love him?"

Kari choked on the apple she was eating. "_Love_? Where on earth did you get that idea?"

"I asked you if you liked him," Gatomon replied coolly, enjoying watching her flustered partner.

"I though you meant as a person. Love? What were you thinking? I barely even know the guy let alone had a half decent conversation with him in which I'm not contemplating the idea of hurting him. 'Damsel in distress', huh? Who does he think he is to call me a 'damsel in distress'? What right does he have to assume anything about me?" Kari ranted, remembering how they had met. Gatomon rolled her eyes and let her mind wander until Kari was ready to finish.

"Kari," Gatomon suddenly interrupted, "Is that them?"

Kari looked up and saw TK talking with someone. "Wait till I get my hands on him," Kari said, beginning to charge in that direction but Gatomon held her back. "What are you doing?"

"Just wait. I want to see what's happening here. You've got to admit that it's slightly suspicious. TK just happens to ditch us and start talking to someone in a dark alley." Kari blinked. In her anger she hadn't processed some very vital pieces of information. TK was indeed talking a stranger in a dark alley and said stranger was suspicious in himself. Just like her, the stranger was wearing a cloak pulled up over their eyes, making it impossible to pick out any distinguishing features. The stranger appeared to be quite agitated and alert, as well as TK.

Kari bit her lip in concentration, unconsciously drawing blood. 'What is TK up to?' "Come on Gatomon. If TK wants to talk to mysterious strangers then let him. We're going to get a drink. I think I saw a tavern back that way." She turned around and started walking away, looking back over her shoulder one last time, only to see TK hand the stranger something. 'He's up to something and he doesn't want me to know what it is.'

-

The brunette left his digimon at the entrance of the cave, telling him that he'd be back soon.

Drops echoed in the air as they fell from the stalactites in a beautiful melody. Crystals in the wall glowed a light blue colour lighting the path. The air was cool and he could hear as the wind blew past the entrance, creating an almost spooky effect, but it didn't bother him, he had to find her and nothing was going to stop him until he did. He needed to amend his wrongs.

His foot splashed in a puddle, as he paced slowly through the tunnel. He turned round the corner and found that he was facing a fork in the cave. In the centre was a stone statue of Aquilamon. Words had been inscribed into the marble block that the statue was stood on. He closed his eyes for a minute, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness so that when he opened them the light from the crystals would be enough for him to read the inscription. He opened his eyes and crouched down, his eyes scanning the words or rather the warning.

_Before you there are two paths,_

_One will lead you to me,_

_But the other won't._

_Choose wisely for you have one chance,_

_One chance only._

_Pick right and I shall answer one question,_

_But be warned,_

_Pick wrong and you be lost,_

_Never to feel the wind in your hair,_

_Or feel the sun on your skin._

He closed his eyes and breathed in, concentrating on the two distinct auras being admitted from each path, one was benign but with a wild and uncontrollable element to it and the other was just unending and, like the sea, it wouldn't give you a second chance if you made one mistake. It would take you forever. He could feel the power emanated from that tunnel that was so strong that even those without his gift would be sense it, tricking them into believing that it was the right path.

The brunette thanked his ability to sense auras and made his way down the first tunnel for what seemed like a lifetime, nothing seemed to change. He was beginning to think that he had chosen the wrong tunnel when he came to a sharp turn and found himself standing before a large stone door. Two statues stood at either side of Halsemon, their stone eyes glowing red as he walked up to the first.

"I'm here to see the oracle," he told the statue.

"We know. She has been expecting you," it said in a gravely voice.

"As expected of her," the brunette complimented. "Will she see me?"

"The oracle sees all that make it through the tunnel."

"Thank you," the brunette said bowing to the statue out of respect, knowing the oracle would be watching through the glowing red eyes.

The noise of the large stone door opening on its hinge and scraping across the floor and ceiling echoed through tunnel. The traveller walked into the cave. The whole of it was lit up by one large fragment of the special crystal, covering the whole of the ceiling. What surprised him was that there were plants, apparently able to survive in the light of the cave, growing everywhere around the outside of the 'room'.

His eyes landed on the figure in the centre of the room. The oracle. She sat in a meditative position, wearing a strapless dress made from reddish brown feathers and a headdress made from the same feathers. She also had two necklaces of some type bone around her neck, one was short and arranged like a choker and the second much longer, the bottom resting on her chest. She was in the exact centre of the room and didn't seem to register his entrance but the brunette knew that she had probably been expecting him many years before he even knew that he was going to visit her.

As he walked up to her, neither fast nor slow, he could begin to see that her hair was a soft lavender colour. It shrouded her like a cloak, just resting on the floor as she sat. He could also see that her digimon partner was standing next to her. It was a bird type digimon with the same reddish brown feathers that she wore. It was a Hawkmon, almost as wise and all knowing as the oracle herself was.

He stopped in front of them and bowed slightly. "I have a question that I would like answering oracle," he told them.

"I know," she told him. Her voice echoed repeatedly around him, where as his voice hadn't made even a single after sound. He knew that it must have something to do with her powers.

She finally looked up at her visitor. Her eyes, once amber before her 'sight' developed, were cloudy but appeared that she could see him. "Unfortunately it is one of the few requests that I can not fulfil. As I have told the few who reached me before you, it is impossible to track the princess. Witch blood has a special quality to it. For centuries they were hunted down, humans used other forms of magic to find them and through evolution they changed, making them immune to even the most powerful tracing spells – but you already knew that."

The brunette nodded at the knowledge of oracle appreciatively. "So she did inherit the witch blood then," he said thoughtfully, "which means I have to come up with a different question." There was a comfortable silence for a while as he thought through his possible options.

"You have your question," said the oracle. It wasn't a question, since she knew what was going to happen. For her the encounter was rather like reading off a script, except for the fact that her guest didn't know what he was going to say until he did.

"Yes."

She plucked two feathers from her dress, one from by her heart and the second from her thigh. She took a third feather from her headdress above the centre of her forehead, her mind's eye. She then took three bones from each necklace and four from her bracelet and placed them in front of her. The brunette watched with curiosity.

"Ask you question."

"Who knows of the location of princess Hikari?"

The oracle turned to Hawkmon, who plucked a feather from his wing and handed it to her. She, in turn, dropped the fourth feather into the pile she had created. She ran her hand over the top, chanting a line in a language the brunette had never heard before.

All of a sudden the feathers and bones starting moving on their own accord, shifting into patterns with meanings that he could never even try to understand.

"There is a girl. She's making a journey, one that could decide the fate of millions. A boy with blonde hair accompanies her, although he is unaware of the many truths she holds and she of his. The girl, she is the one who knows where the princess is, although not where her true heart lies. Like the princess she cannot be found, her powers hidden, her bonds hidden, her past hidden. She is the one to look for to find the princess. The girl with the white cat."

-

"Kari, are you sure having a drink here is a good idea?" asked Gatomon, looking over at the shady folk in the tavern. There were a few solitary travellers sitting at random tables with a glass of ale or some other form of alcoholic beverage. In the very back there seemed to be some sort of deal taking place, probably an illegal one from the way their hoods were pulled up and they were positioned very carefully in the shadows.

Kari shivered, as her eyes locked with one man's and she felt him boring into her very soul. She broke the connection and looked back at her drink, a very childlike orange juice. She was never one for alcoholic drinks, since they could turn even the nicest person into a monster, and didn't particularly think it would be a good idea to have any of the water that they offered, it being a murky green colour. "It'll be fine for just one drink," she said, trying not to let Gatomon know how nervous the place was making her feel.

"I guess," Gatomon answered, taking a sip of her own drink. They sat and talked in low voices, not wishing to disrupt the fragile atmosphere of the tavern.

"I think I saw a market on the way in," the girl commented offhandedly.

"There is something you need?" asked her partner, as they absently took the formal tones ingrained into them to use in the presence of so many.

"Not particually but we may find something useful. Besides, my daggers have blunted. I need to find someone to fix them."

Gatomon smirked, seeing through her. "So you wish to see what weaponary they have which you can wield."

Kari smiled softly, an expression he had not used inn a while. "You know me too well."

They finished off their drinks and stood to leave. As they did so a man, wearing a shirt that clearly showed his bulging muscles, grabbed Kari's wrist and span her towards him and pulled down her hood. Gatomon leapt to help but his Impmon forced her to the floor, stopping her.

"Gatomon," cried Kari, not caring for her own safety and unawares of the silence in the tavern as all the punters watched.

"My, my, my. What do we have here? I thought that those eyes were a little too feminine. Don't you know it's dangerous for a little girl to come into a man's world alone, especially one as beautiful and young as you," he said with his greasy voice. His eyes lit up in a horrible manner, as he slid closer to her, "I don't know…something horrible may happen."

Kari burned with anger. How dare he treat her like this? TK may have insulted her when they met but she realised now that he was just trying to help her and didn't mean it but this man, if it was decent enough to call him one, was a completely different matter.

He was using derogatory terms, talking like he was better than her just because he was a man and he was suggested highly inappropriate actions towards her, whilst at the same time having his digimon attack Gatomon – and she would not take it. If she had been back at the palace he would have been hanged for his actions.

She may have denied her heritage but in her blood she would always be a Kamiya and Kamiyas never took kindly to being wronged.

She twisted her body, bringing her foot up and smacking it into his jaw with such force that he was sent flying into a, now broken, table in the opposite side of the room. She flashed a look at the Impmon, warning it to move. He looked uncertain and turned to his partner, who two shot him a look, warning him not to move, as he got to his feet and brushed small pieces of the wooden table from himself.

"So you want to play with the big boys do you?" he asked fiercely, he was not going to let a _girl _get away with humiliating him. "Do you think you can handle it?" he challenged.

Kari took a look at Gatomon, her terrified blue eyes shooting through her system. "That's not the question you should be asking," Kari said, walking forward so she was in front of Gatomon and blocking the man's view.

"And what should I be asking?" he asked, annoyed that she was not terrified of him like everybody else.

"Can you handle me?" behind her back she held her clenched fist. Gatomon watched as she suddenly flashed it into what would be claws, if she had any, for just a second before it returned into the clenched fist. Gatomon's eyes widened with realisation of what Kari was doing. She looked up at the Impmon and smirked.

"Lightning Paw," she shouted, curling her claws into a fist and punching him in the stomach and into the wall. She leapt to her feet and to Kari's side, sneaking a glance at the unconscious Impmon. 'That had to hurt so bad that his human felt it.'

Kari flicked her wrist in a different motion to the one she usually used, her jagged metal disks landing in her hand, a split second before she threw them at the man, pinning him to the broken table by his arms, legs and, most worrying for him, just below the crutch. Kari turned to leave, letting Gatomon jump into her arms. She stopped in the doorway and turned around flashing a glare at the man. "Don't you ever dare to lay a hand on Gatomon ever again because I will not spare you a second time." With that she turned and left.

She bumped into someone as she exited. "Watch it," she growled, still furious from the incident.

"Kari?" asked a familiar voice. She looked up, her fiery ruby eyes meeting with TK's cooling sapphire ones.

"TK?" she asked, slightly surprised at seeing him, enough for her to drop Gatomon. With everything that had happened she had forgotten everything about TK.

"Kari, what were you doing in there? I've been looking for you everywhere. Don't you know it's dangerous? What if something had happened?" he asked angrily.

Kari just pushed him aside, saying, "I can look after myself," before taking off.

Gatomon looked at them apologetically. "Sorry, she's still a little angry. We'll meet you by the fountain when you're done doing whatever you're going to do in there," she explained before taking off after her partner.

TK shrugged and entered the tavern, his eyebrows hitting the ceiling as he saw the scene in front of him. Two men were pulling a man up from a broken table, while their partners helped a semiconscious Impmon. Both Kari's and Gatomon's words rang in his ears. 'I can look after myself.' 'She's still a little angry.' Was this Kari's doing?

"Bloody elf," grunted the man, answering TK's unspoken question. TK smiled, before walking up to the bar. He sat patiently while the barmaid severed the other customers before she came to TK. Her eyes grew wide with recognition. "What are you doing back here," she screeched angrily, "Out, Out, we don't want you here."

TK tossed a small sack of silver coins onto the bar. "I'm sure that that's enough for the time that I stayed here and more. I promised I'd pay you back."

"In a note that you left before you took off without paying for the three whole months you were here."

"Mimi," TK said slowly.

"No, don't you Mimi me. What is it you want?"

"To speak."

"Well we are, so now you can go."

"Not with you," he said, looking her in the eyes.

"What are you getting yourself tangled up in TK?" she asked seriously, "Why do you need to get yourself tangled up with _him_?"

"Because _he _knows where to find the oracle."

She looked at him, examining him. "You're a good kid TK. Whatever you need to see the oracle for just forget about it."

"This is something that I've got to do Mimi."

"Alright – but you have to go alone. I'm afraid Patamon can't go with you, even I have to leave Palmon here."

TK looked at Patamon. "Go join Kari and Gatomon by the fountain. Go for a walk in the forest or something. This may take a while." Patamon nodded as Mimi lead TK in a door behind the bar and vanished from sight. He gulped, not liking being separated from TK one bit. Reluctantly he flew out the door to join the others.

OoOoO

"You sure you're alright?" asked Kari for the hundredth time.

"Sure as sure can be," Gatomon replied, again. She knew that Kari was just worried about her but boy was it getting annoying.

"Kari," cried a familiar voice, as her face was assaulted by a flying orange blob.

"Patamon," Kari shouted, although not angrily, in fact she sounded quite amused.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, "I forgot how to stop."

Kari giggled openly. Patamon smiled, she was warming up to them. "You should laugh more often," he told her, "Smiles suit you better."

Kari smiled, blushing slightly at the complement. After years of her father's distain she wasn't used to it. "Thank you – where's TK?" she asked suddenly, noticing he wasn't with Patamon.

"He's talking with someone. He'll be a while so he suggested that we go for a walk in the forest to pass the time, come back in a couple of hours," Patamon explained, flying of before she could question him further and she had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the man TK had been talking to in the alley.

They walked through the town a bit on the way out of the town to walk in the forest when Kari noticed a small band of mucians and the locals dancing merrily in the space around them.

It was like never she had ever seen before. All the royal balls that she had attended were refined and organised with rules of etiquette to be obeyed at every turn and the dance of words just as important.

This was so different. People of all ages, young and old, all joined in the lively dance, switching partners often and laughing as they went. Dancing at the palace had never been fun but the dance she saw now was so full of energy and joy.

She watched as the woman clapped their hands above their heads in time to the beat of the drum as the men span them. The young children giggled as they attempted to do the same, toppling to the floor as they became unbalanced and getting back up.

She was suddenly struck with what she had missed out on all her life. She would never even known about the happiness that the town people shared together even in times of war if not for the fact that Patamon had suggested they go for a walk whilst waiting for TK.

She turned away from the seen bitterly, following the road out of the town, Patamon and Gatomon following behind.

She had come so close to never knowing, to giving up. It seemed so surreal that just over two weeks ago she had given up all hope of being free and gave into the marriage. She had readied herself mentally to walk those steps up the aisle without breaking down.

Part of her told her that she should have done it, spared all the people from the war that having what she wanted had created, but another part of her told her that it would have happened anyway.

Her father was a monster, she knew that he had probably been planning to slaughter the Imprecatios family some time after the wedding, most likely when she was pregnant with an heir for their kingdom, leaving her baby as the only heir by blood and her father ruling until it was old enough to do so itself.

She growled angrily at the thought, her fists clenched.

"You thinking about it?" asked Gatomon knowingly, feeling her partners anger through the connection all human and digimon partners had.

"Yeh," replied Kari. "Yeh, I am."

Patamon listened closely. What were they talking about?

"Forget about it Kari," Gatomon told her, "It's over now. They can't do anything now."

'Who can't do what?' Patamon thought confused. 'And what's over?' Patamon, although naïve at times, knew better to ask about it, at least not until they were ready to trust him and TK.

-

Kari kicked the stone at her feet, unable to shake the bad feeling that hung in the air. They had been walking for just over an hour and, although she usually would have enjoyed the freedom of it all, being out of town and away from people who might recognise her, she wasn't able to because of the ominous feeling that hung in the air.

Twenty minutes before she had managed to convince the two digimon that they should start heading back. She wasn't willing to admit that she was worried about TK but things just didn't add up, especially the fact that he and Patamon had separated. People didn't _just_ separate with their partners if they could help it.

TK had got himself into some kind of dodgey business. There was no doubt about that.

The journey back to the town was much different from the slow and relaxed one they had made into the forest. Both digimon seemed to be able to pick up on Kari's anxiousness and they were walking faster because of it, not stopping to look at an interesting shaped log or playing chase in the treetops.

Kari saw a small hill ahead of them and recognised it as the one that they had crossed on the way out of the town. She walked slightly faster. Now she could quell her nerves and prove to herself that nothing was wrong. Unable to wait any longer she broke into a jog, Patamon and Gatomon continuing at the same pace.

Kari stopped halfway up the hill. Something was wrong. She could feel it now. A second later a gentle breeze carried the smell of something burning to her nostrils.

"Oh no," she said gravely. She ran up the rest of the hill, stopping to look down at the scene when she reached the top of the hill, her eyes dilating in fear. Patamon and Gatomon arrived at her side a moment later and looked down at what she could see.

A thick plume of black smoke was rising off the glowing town. The flames licking the sides of the nearby buildings as it spread quickly. Several blackened buildings in the centre, barely visible through the smoke, looked on the verge of collapse. Screams of fear came from a gathering crowd. There were men holding people back. Nobody was even trying to put the fire out. It was too far gone for anything to work.

"TK," screamed Patamon.


	10. To Mark

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

**

* * *

******

Chapter 10 – To Mark

Before Kari had time to register anything Patamon was flying wildly down into the town and through the thickening smoke.

"Patamon," cried Kari running down the hill. Knowing that harm would likely befall the small digimon, she chased him down into the town, her heart beating faster than usual out of fear for her companions. The first thing she could notice was the acrid smell of the whole place burning; the second was that she had lost sight of Patamon in the thick smoke. She pushed her way into the crowd, losing herself in the swirl of panicked people as she searched for TK.

People were screaming an crying all around her, trying to find friends and family, hoping against hope that they weren't trapped in the inferno. She barely registered one limping girl with a heavy gash above her eye, causing by something unknown falling on her or the screaming woman with burns down the side of her body.

"TK?" she called out, echoed by Gatomon, "Patamon? Where are you?" She felt an icy chill in her heart. She couldn't see them anywhere. There had to be something. She was knocked to her feet as a small green digimon pushed past.

"Mimi," it cried, jumping into its partner's arms.

Kari looked away for a second and continued scanning the crowd when a memory flashed in her mind. She turned back to the pair. The digimon she recognised as a Palmon but it was her partner that caught her interest, her honey coloured hair, stylish but obviously worn clothes and large hat were very familiar. She had been right. This was the lady who had served them in the tavern – which was the last place where she had seen TK.

She pushed her way through the crowd, trying to catch up with her as she too made her way through the crowd. "Gatomon, go stop her," she cried out as two people blocked her past and Mimi vanished from view. Gatomon nodded and leapt from person to person, navigating quickly through the ever-growing crowd. She finally reached the barmaid and grabbed her ankle. Mimi gave a squawk of surprise and turned around.

"Please, my partner wants to talk to you," Gatomon said.

Mimi looked nervously at the cloud of smoke but, biting her lip, she nodded and followed Gatomon, as she led them back to Kari, who bumped into them as she forced away through two people. There was a flash of recognition in Mimi's eyes as she remembered what Kari had done almost two hours before.

"You're the maid from the tavern right?" asked Kari.

"Y-Yeh," answered Mimi nervously.

"My friend went in afterwards and I wanted to know if he's still in there. He's about my age, a bit taller and he has blonde hair, very blonde hair," Kari said, almost desperately.

"You mean TK?" Mimi said panicking. Kari nodded and Mimi turned tail and ran, with Kari in hot pursuit. Kari gritted her teeth angrily and grabbed Mimi's wrist a little harder than necessary. It was an odd scene to see such a small girl have so much power over someone so much taller and bigger than herself but when unnoticed in the flurry of the crowd.

"Where is he?" growled Kari.

"When the fire started I just panicked. I didn't mean to leave him there but when the beam fell I just ran," Mimi said flustered, as Kari's eyes widened in fear at what her words meant.

"Just tell me where he is," demanded Kari, unable to comprehend why she cared so much about TK's safety.

"He's in the back room," Mimi said, tears beginning to appear in her eyes from Kari's grip, "I'm sorry," she said, but Kari had already disappeared into the crowd, pushing her way towards the burning streets.

A man attempted to block her as she broke away from the crowd and into the city, receiving a swift blow to the jaw as she stormed past him. Nothing was going to stop her from helping TK.

Several people called out to her to come back but she ignored them, covering her mouth with her hand as she ran into the smoke.

Her eyes stung and teared up as ash and smoke blew into them mercilessly as she ran through the fiery town, Gatomon at her side, suffering as she was. Kari jumped as there was an explosion beside her and a building half collapsed. "You don't have to come Gatomon. You can just go back to safety if you want," Kari said as they navigated through the barely visible streets, fearing for her partner.

"Hikari Kamiya," Gatomon said, not caring if anyone heard her call the runaway by her full name, "remember the promise we made? I'm never going to leave you." Kari felt a lump gather in her throat that had nothing to do with the smoke. It would have been a beautiful moment if they had not arrived at the tavern at that moment. It was covered in ash and the structure was visibly unstable, choosing that moment for the top left hand corner of the building to crumble away.

Kari gulped and pulled open the rickety door, blackened from the smoke. She yelped as a cloud of boiling smoke billowed out of the building, making her cough and splutter but she carried on into the building anyway, feeling for Gatomon's comforting presence to make the fear go away.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the building. It was dark and there were pieces of debris scattered everywhere and the floor was glistening like the stars as light from the crackling fire reflected on the broken glass that covered the entire bar. The heat was immense and brought tears to Kari's eyes. She dropped her hand and pulled her cloak up over her mouth to filter out some of the smoke. She looked sympathetically at Gatomon, who looked like she was having a hard time breathing in the smoke.

"In my arms," she commanded. She was shocked by the authority in her own voice. She never gave orders to Gatomon – they were partners, meaning she wasn't in charge of Gatomon and Gatomon wasn't in charge of her. Gatomon looked at her but knew that Kari was just worried for her. It wasn't an order as such but more like Kari was doing what she could do to protect her and so she complied without complaint.

Kari clutched Gatomon to her protectively, pulling the cloak over both of their mouths, although it was completely over Gatomon, and quickly made her way behind the bar and through the door, just in time to avoid a glass bottle exploding in the heat. She found herself in a narrow corridor that was almost pitch black. "Almost there Gatomon. Everything will be OK, you'll see," Kari managed to say softly, hoping to comfort her digimon.

She reached the end of the corridor and felt her shoulders slump in defeat. A large beam had fallen, blocking the small doorway. There was a small gap behind with a patch of tan fur hanging on it. "Patamon," whispered Kari. She gathered her strength and tried to shift it with Gatomon jumping out of her arms to help but it wouldn't budge an inch. She felt her herself becoming slightly light headed, as the smoke blocked the oxygen from entering her body.

Gatomon was panting in the floor, her eyes bloodshot. 'I have to do something.' She concentrated on everything that she had learnt at the palace, every single lesson to try and recall something useful. 'Physics, physics, physics – come on there has to be something…pivots!' "Gatomon, stand back," Kari said and drew her ruby sword, its silent glow giving her light to work in. She slid the end of the blade under the beam and forced her weight down on the handle. The beam groaned, lifting into the air momentarily before dropping back into the same position as before.

Kari let out a cry of frustration, laced with fear. Gatomon wouldn't be able take much more of the smoke and nor would she and TK was still trapped. She focused all of her energy into forced down on the sword. This time the resulting groan seemed to shake the room, before the beam fell away to the side, creating a gash in Kari's leg in the process. She cried out in pain, fresh tears working their way into her eyes but tried to ignore the pain and continued with the task at hand.

She sheathed her sword and took a weakening Gatomon in her arms once as she staggered through the door, which collapsed as she began to open it. She limped into the room, unable to see a thing. Suddenly the ground gave way as she tripped over something warm. Panic flew through her as she felt the person's chest. It wasn't moving. "TK?" She drew her sword again, then soft glow allowing relief into her heart. It wasn't TK, just someone else.

She clutched Gatomon close to her protectively, sensing her partner had lost consciousness. She dragged herself across the floor weakly; her energy was rapidly abandoning her now most likely because of blood loss from the injury and smoke asphyxiation.

She reached down and touched her leg and felt the warmth of her blood, her suspicions confirmed. And, as if things couldn't get any worse, the room was filling with more smoke now and she could here the gentle crackle of flames nearby. She had wasted too much time in shifting the beam and the fire had caught up with them.

Through the murk she could make out a figure across the room. She drew on her remaining energy and got to her feet and limped most of the way towards it. The smoke parted for a second and she could make out TK's blonde hair, knowing that he was there, her energy left her once again, leaving her to crawl across the room until she collapsed by his side, the rising heat of the room becoming too much for her.

She was almost there but she was unsure if she could make it any further. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, the beam above her was ablaze in a strangely beautiful way. 'I'm so sorry Gatomon. I've let you down, even though I promised I would never let anything happen to you.'

-

The young princess cried as Salamon was returned to her arms, her paws bleeding and blue eyes full of pain. "I'm so sorry Salamon. I didn't know that this would happen to you. This shouldn't have happened."

"It's OK Kari," Salamon said, putting on a brave face, "I'm fine."

Kari heard her but her eyes told her otherwise. "This is all my fault. It should've been me. I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault Kari. You weren't the one who did this."

"But it's my fault for angering father. If I didn't then he wouldn't have punished you."

"He punished you too, worse than me."

"But if I didn't try to escape then you wouldn't have had to go through that pain and don't say you didn't. I could feel it," tears began to fall on Salamon, "You must have been in so much pain for me to feel it and it was my fault. You're hurt because of me."

"I don't mind. I just want to see you happy and that will never happen whilst you're here. I promise to stick by your dreams no matter what happens. I'll never leave you." Her eyes were so full of love, trust and loyalty that Kari almost burst into tears again. She needed to give something back to Salamon.

"Then I promise never to let anything happen to you if I can help it." Kari shed a tear that began to glow as it landed on Salamon's forehead. As Kari embraced her only friend left in the world, Salamon digivolved into Gatomon for the first time.

-

"No," Kari said stubbornly, "I won't let you down. I made a promise."

As she rolled back to face TK, Kari felt herself losing consciousness. The ash filled smoke was cloying up her lungs and sticking to the moisture of her teary eyes. She could barely see TK next to her. He was unconscious from what she could tell. Patamon had curled up in TK's protective arms and she could tell the smoke was already taking its toll on the small creature, who didn't appear to be moving.

Her arms were wrapped protectively around Gatomon. She could hear the flames licking at the door and she shuffled weakly over to TK, silently cursing her body for giving in to the smoke. She placed a hand on his chest and was somewhat relieved to find it moving slightly.

She coughed, the ash grating across her throat painfully, and she moved her hand to Patamon's chest and found that it too was moving, although weaker than TK's and – it scared her. Despite her constant glares she had developed feelings of respect for the travelling pair and certainly didn't want to see them turn up dead. There was a loud thud as a beam gave way and crashed to the floor, where she had been only moments before.

Despite the unbearable heat, she shivered at how close a call it had been but knew that it was just the beginning. She was too weak to carry TK and Patamon out and even if she could the door was blocked _and_ on fire and there were no windows. She could see no way out. 'Gatomon.'

-

Gatomon opened her eyes, feeling a familiar wave of energy. She looked up to see Kari's eyes glowing. "You hear the drums don't you?" she asked in a raspy voice. Kari nodded. "Just be careful, remember what happened last time. You scared me."

Kari nodded and dug inside her bag, removing her most treasured possession and placing it on the floor. She could see the forest clearly as the mist faded. Gatomon automatically held onto Kari, as the girl leant over TK and Patamon, wrapping one arm around them whilst placing her free hand on the mirror.

The world seemed to swing around them and for terrifying second they were looking down at the ceiling of the tavern, falling upwards towards them, as they floated in the air as it swung below them but the moment passed and they were lying on the forest floor. The cool earth smelled sweet compared to the choking air of the fire. The birds sounded all the sweeter without out the sound of the crackling flames in the background. The air, free of the suffocating smoke, was sweet and pure.

Kari smiled weakly, knowing that they were safe and pushed herself to her feet, replacing the mirror in her bag and out of sight before she began shaking TK. He groaned, coughed and opened his eyes. His cloudy eyes suddenly focused and he bolted upright, patting himself as if to make sure he was really there.

"I'm a alive," he laughed, "I'm alive, I'm a-Patamon?" His eyes landed on his furry friend and Kari watched in amusement as Patamon opened his eyes and TK joyfully started throwing him up in the air and catching him.

"It's good to see yo…" Kari's voice trailed off and she fell backwards, seemingly floating to the floor as her eyes closed.

"Kari," cried TK, somehow managing to catch her before she fell, forgetting about Patamon who landed on the floor with a disgruntled look.

"What happened?" demanded TK, after checking that Kari was still breathing.

"She's OK, apart from that gash on her leg. She just tired herself out too much. I told her to be careful. I reminded her that this is what happened last time but then we had no choice. Pass out for about twenty-four hours or die from asphyxiation or possibly burning to death in that god forsaken tavern," Gatomon said. She might have sounded harsh but really she was just concerned.

"What did she do?" asked TK, more confused than he was before, "And what do you mean 'pass out for twenty-four hours'?"

Gatomon looked down, wariness filling her expression and her eyes guarded. "She saved your lives and that's all you need to know for now and as an answer for your second question, that's the price she had to pay for saving all of our lives. You wouldn't believe how close a call it was."

TK studied Gatomon. The air of mystery around her and her human was stronger than ever and he knew he wasn't going to hear another word on the matter until they were ready to talk. "Fine but we better sort that wound out before we do anything else. It looks pretty bad. Do you think she can handle it?" TK asked, looking up at Gatomon.

"She's had worse," she replied gravely, before disappearing into the trees. TK raised an eyebrow, looking from the trees to Kari. 'Why did Gatomon just leave her partner? And what does she mean by worse?'

He shrugged it off and delved into his sack, removing an old shirt and tore it into strips, before picking up his decanter of whisky, which he didn't drink – the alcohol in it was good for cleaning wounds, and taking both over to Kari.

He knelt down next to her and lifted her trouser leg so that he could inspect her wound. It looked nasty that was for sure and was still bleeding but luckily it was clean, meaning whatever caused her such a nasty injury wouldn't have poisoned her but that still left her open to airborne diseases.

He poured some of the whiskey onto one of the strips of cloth and began cleaning Kari's wound, the alcohol killing off anything that shouldn't be there. Even in her unconscious state Kari winced in pain as TK laboured over the task, when he was finally finished he picked up what looked to be the cleanest part of the cloth and was about to bandage the wound when Gatomon appeared with a mixture of berries in her hand.

"Wait," she said, placing a paw on his hand to stop him wrapping the makeshift bandage around Kari's leg. Gatomon then picked up to large and smooth stones. She placed the berries on the flatter of the two and mashed them into a fine purplish paste, which she put on Kari's wound, not fearing she could be making it worse. Seeing TK's questioning look she spoke up, "The paste helps prevent disease while making the wound heal faster at the same time. You can bandage her now if you like."

TK nodded, dumbfounded by Gatomon's knowledge of healing plants. Most travellers knew the basics, dock leaves for stinging nettle stings, lavender for relaxation, elderberry to speed up recovery from the flu and poppy seed to help sleeping and relieve pain, but what Gatomon appeared to know seemed to go beyond the basics. He would have asked, if he had not seen the look on Gatomon's face warning him not to.

Gatomon silently curled up next to Kari, trying to hide the irrational fear in her eyes – irrational because she knew Kari would be fine.

He studied the pair and smiled at how perfectly they went together. They were one of the closest, if not then the closest, partnering he had ever encountered between a human and a digimon.

In the short time he had known them he had come to learn that they had the perfect symbiotic relationship, giving each other support and unconditional love constantly without out the other having to appeal in any form for it. They needed each other that much was clear. He could tell that they would do anything for each other and it warmed his heart, making him hope that his and Patamon's relationship was just as strong.

-

The first thing Kari became aware of was the unpleasant throbbing in her leg, not that it hurt, in fact she couldn't feel much pain at all, it was just the unnatural pulsing of her leg made it seem so. The second thing that she became aware of was that she was awake, or at least capable of conscious thought so she must have regained one form of consciousness or another.

In the moment of peace, the sounds and sights of the world around having not returned yet, gave her a chance to relax and not worry about everything that had happened, forget that she was a princess on the run and forget that her friends – for that was what she had to admit, somewhat reluctantly, to herself at least was what TK and Patamon had become to her – had almost died.

In the quiet darkness she found herself in she concentrated on remembering why she was there in the first place. She could remember the fire but what happened after that? Did they get out? Scratch that, was she dead?

She couldn't remember getting out – that had to mean she was dead right? But then again, if she was dead, why was her leg throbbing in the unpleasant manner that she was becoming accustomed to? Surely if she had died than such an injury wouldn't bother her because she would have no solid presence or body. No, she came to the conclusion that she was very much alive. The only thing that bothered her was the _how_ she was still alive.

Try as she might, every time the answer came close it seemed to be pushed out of her mind by some part of her subconscious that didn't want her to know. Unfortunately that just made her want to know more than ever. She concentrated hard on the memories.

Suddenly the dark world around her came alive. She could see flashes of the fire, feel brief flashes of the pain and smell the smoke. She shook her head violently to tear herself away from the memories; it was just too real to comprehend. It was like the memories were coming to life around her. She could feel the panic rising in her again, the beat of her heart rising steadily in her ears.

It died away almost instantaneously, she the calm darkness surround her again and began to understand that it was best not to force the memories, wherever she was.

As she lay there, at least she assumed she lay there but nothing could be certain in her state of half consciousness, she let herself relax and decided to think about something else, letting the memory flow through her. Once again the now familiar darkness changed and was replaced with stepping-stones going over a crystal clear river with grassy meadows at each side.

She was standing on one of the stepping stones now and looking into the water she could see her reflection, she looked about ten and Nyaromon was by her foot and although she knew these images well, they were blurry and unfocused due to the loss of a few minor details in the years since it had happened. She turned to her blonde friend 'Takumi' and his partner. They were unfocused too and Kari couldn't see any distinctive features of his face.

She looked back down at the water. It looked cold considering it was almost winter. "Careful not to slip," she teased as she hopped to the next stone.

Nayaromon was on the stone in front of her and her best friend was behind her, she moved to jump forward again but she noticed Nayaromon hadn't moved and so suddenly stopped, as to avoid falling in the water because the stone was taken, unfortunately when she made the move to jump 'Takumi' had done just that, and crashed into her back, falling backwards into the water. In a last ditch attempt to stable himself he grabbed Kari's wrist, only to pull her into the water on top of him.

They fell into the icy water with a tremendous _splash_. "Kumi," she shrieked, water pouring down her face and onto his from the compromising position they had landed in, with her on top of him and arms still holding him tight from where she had tried to shield herself from the fall.

"P-Princess K-K-Kari," her childhood friend stuttered in embarrassment, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to."

He was cut off by her laughter. "It was my fault, anyway. And there's no harm was done."

"I guess," he said uncertainly, looking up into her twinkling ruby eyes, which was when he realised they were still in the compromising position. "Princess, I think you need to get off me now or we'll freeze in this water."

Kari's face turned red in embarrassment as she rather quickly forced herself off Takumi and stood up. "Sorry. I didn't realise," suddenly there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"What are you up to Princess?" Takumi asked, shifting backwards in the river.

"Nothing," she said taking a large step towards him, before splashing him in the face. The princess stood over him laughing, a smug look on her face.

"Princess," he exclaimed as he shivered and splashed her back, wiping away that smug look. They began laughing and running around splashing each other, as their digimon watched from the safety of the grassy banks. Eventually when they tired they climbed out of the water and lay on the side shivering.

Kari remembered how they had been ill for a week after that. The cool darkness surrounded her once again, when she felt eyes on her all of a sudden. She looked up and saw a man standing over her.

Even in the strange state she was in she knew that this wasn't a memory, somebody else had joined his consciousness to hers for the time being and she knew what was going on. According to the book that she learned of her powers of she was untraceable by magic but that didn't mean there weren't ways around that.

Dark ways.

The man was looking at her like she was prey and in that moment, that's what she became. She tried to move but found that it was impossible, a circle made of ancient runes was glowing around her, freezing her to the spot.

Her feet were heavy, as if set into the ground itself. She began to struggle but the same stiffness travelled up her body into she felt like nothing more than a living statue. Her mind cried out, screaming for help but the world around her remained silent.

The man walked over to her, his face covered by his hood, shadowing his features. Whisps of dark smoke seemed to flaot around the pail patches of his face that she could see like a mask.

"You've become much of a nuisance, Princess Hikari," he said, his voice came from all around her, sometimes close to her ear and sometimes further away, cutting off at different points in the sentence and changing locations. It sent chills down her spine.

She tried to struggle more but the runes at her feet glowed brighter and pain shot down her body.

"You really shouldn't struggle. It'll make this much harder for the both of us."

Without a word he grabbed her wrist and she felt it burning in pain, like someone had clamped a molten shackle around her wrist. She tried to cry out, move, pull away – anything – but her body did not respond to her wishes. She wanted to cry but no tears came.

Hatred filled her, resenting the man who took away the control of her body and attacked her in her very mind. Thoughts of bitteness consumed her into the pain took all thoughts away. There was nothing but the burning, the fire travelling up her arm.

There was only pain.

Suddenly the man released her wrist and she could see a tattoo had been burned into her skin. The gruesome snake encircling her entire wrist, the head and tail looped at the end forming a complete circle.

Looking up she saw that the cloaked man hadn't released her willingly; a second figure had in fact torn him away from her, his dark brown bangs hiding his eyes.

The first man struggled against him, twisting his elbow up into the second's face with force. Imobile, she watched as they struggled against each other, the newest arrival seemingly trying to keep the second away from her.

She was unsure whether to feel grateful or not, while he appeared to be protecting her for some reason, he too had broken into her mind. He had forced himself into the most private of places.

The second appeared to have won the fight as the first faded into nothing, although the mark on her wrist remained, meaning the damage was donw.

The brunette turned to her, walking closer to her as she struggled against the runes. He grabbed her wrist and, although much gentler than the first sorcerer, she still felt the rage at being unable to defend herself. He examined the mark closely, his face obscured by the mess his hair had become in the fight but she could clearly make out the frown on his face.

"The man has marked you with his own seal of magic," he informed her, still examining her wrist, his hands fading slightly. "I can't stay much longer. Know that whoever has marked you will be able to trace their own magic. Your location is no longer a secret Hikari.

"You must move before they find you, don't stop, and whatever you do keep your mind protected. I will not be able to help you next time."

The glowing runes faded slightly and she regained some movement.

"Who are you?"

"An ally."

The man faded into nothing along with the golden runes that had ensared her mind, freeing her from its binding.

Kari opened her eyes.

-

She knew this time she was fully conscious, her panting breath was heavy in her ears, the smell of pine filled her nostrils and Gatomon's wide eyes were staring at her worriedly. She knew what Gatomon would be seeing. Her own eyes were dilated in fear, she was breathing heavily to calm herself down and she had just come round from unconsciousness very abruptly.

"What is it?" Gatomon asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Nothing … It's nothing," Kari lied, not wanting to worry her partner further, "Just a nightmare." Gatomon nodded. She was used to Kari having nightmares, although they were much rarer now than they used to be. "Could you go get TK, I'm guessing I've been unconscious a while and he'd like to know, after that you can explain just why I was unconscious."

Gatomon nodded. "Sure but it would be easier to tell you what happened without them here."

"Why?"

"You used the mirror." Kari looked shocked for a moment before the memory came to her. She nodded in understanding.

"What have you told them?"

"Nothing yet. I told them that you'd explain once you came round."

"OK, I'll think of something whilst you fetch them."

"You sure that you'll be ready."

"Do you doubt me?" asked Kari.

"Course not but you're still tired, I'm just worried."

"I'll be fine," Kari smiled. Gatomon nodded reluctantly and went to fetch TK and Patamon, disappearing through the bushes to meet them by a river they were fishing in.

Once she was out of sight Kari pulled up her sleeve, revealing her new tattoo. It pulsed momentarily with a light blue light.

This was going to be a problem.

* * *

A/N: Please review. I'll be updating probably every two days now. So that's good for all my loyal readers.

Changes made to this aren't so dramatic. I changed the scene where the seal is put on her arm a bit. She didn't get to talk to the brunette before. Also there's a few small bits that are building up to a point that I'm trying about Kari. (You won't know until later. *grins evily*)

Also I'm rebuilding fight scenes this has, especially the one that's in the next chapter, which I have to admit was a pretty poor attempt. It's going to be slightly darker but there's more character in it. It's not going to be too dark, just slightly. Afterall, it's a war and I've been avoiding death.

That said, please REVIEW. Tell me what you think and what could be done to make it better.


	11. To Follow

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters an anything related

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Chapter 11 – To Follow

The brunette sat on a wooden chair in the bar he had entered to find a certain _acquaintance_ of his. He looked over to the girl with honey coloured hair. He took a sip of his ale and wondered what his digimon partner was doing right now.

He couldn't help but feel anger at the fact that the bar didn't allow digimon. He looked back up at the girl, the afternoon shadows dancing across her face as she wiped down one of the tables. His eyes flicked over to the clock, his _acquaintance _would be finishing her shift soon.

He took a bite of the chips he had ordered, feeling hungry after his journey to the town. After seeing images of the fire in the princess's mind he had recognised the tavern and also the barmaid.

He gritted his teeth at how somebody had entered the princess's mind to search for her. He remembered the oracle warning him before he left that they were bound to try something like that. He had done wrong to do good by entering her mind. He had wanted to protect her but unfortunately she was too late and that sorcerer got to her.

Suddenly he was aware of a presence next to him and looked up, a goofy grin spread across his face. "It's good to see you again Mimi," he said greeting the honey haired girl.

"What name are we going by today hmm?" she asked knowing him too well. It was unlike him to stick with a name for too long, a precaution that he had taken for years. Though few knew what crimes he had committed against King Susumu if any of the king's guard discovered him then he'd be carted off before the king immediately.

"Yuko Kuenzi."

"Pleasure to meet you Yuko. Now why are you here? Business or pleasure?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of red wine.

"Business I'm afraid."

"Shame," she said smiling at him, "I enjoy it when you visit just for the sake of seeing a friend again but you always have an ulterior motive these days."

"Don't be that way Mimi. I'm just busy at the moment."

"I'm guessing it has something to do with the war, May I ask what part?"

"The heart of it."

"The princess?" 'Yuko' nodded. "A certain blonde was here in this town searching for her too, he didn't say so but I could tell. Nothing gets past Mimi Tachikawa. He had a companion with him as well."

"Companion?"

"A young elf I think," she said. She smiled and looked him in the eyes, a mischievous twinkle was evident, "A girl, although she looked like she had human blood too. She was really fierce though; she actually managed to take down Sanji. It was about time somebody taught that man a lesson."

He smiled. It was about time TK got himself a girlfriend – but what if they were only travelling together because she could help him find the princess? Elves were smart, everybody knew that, and their connection with nature would allow them passage through the great forest faster. If anyone were to figure out where the princess was without being told then it would be an elf.

'Yuko' frowned. TK may be a friend but that didn't mean they had the same job to do. TK's job was undoubtedly to take her back to king Ashnark where as his was to stop that from happening. He didn't want to lose a friend but he would if he had to. The princess was too important in all of this.

"Tell me more about this girl," he said, not wanting to let his mind dwell on the fact that he might have lost a friend by the time the princess was found.

"Don't know much about her, came into the tavern I worked in before it got burnt down, and had orange juice with her partner. She was very quiet and kept her head down for most of the time she was in there, when she got up to leave Sanji went up to her and Sanji, being Sanji, tried to get her to come back with him and when she didn't he had his Impmon attack her partner.

"I've never seen anyone so angry in my whole life. The look on her face when her partner was attacked … I've seen strong bonds before but this was something else. I'm surprised that her partner wasn't an ultimate yet."

'Yuko' shook his head at his friend's exaggeration. "Even the closest have difficulties maintaining that form Mimi."

"You would know," she said with a significant look. The one that, having known the woman for many years through the connection of her late husband, he knew translated as 'Mimi knows all, sees all, and hears all'. He had to admit she was rather good at that look.

"Anyway, she kicked him – in the jaw might I add – all the way across the room. He smashed right through the tables. Everybody was surprised but Sanji was just furious. He got up to go at her again but she pinned him down with these rather nasty metal disks that just came out her sleeve.

"I think she must be a trained warrior or something because she looked so in control of her movements, before she left she warned everybody never to hurt her partner. She was really protective, more so than usual considering her Gatomon was pretty strong too," she explained before adding, "But I didn't realise she was with TK until the fire."

"Gatomon?" asked 'Yuko' tiredly, trying to remember what a Gatomon was like. It was bugging so much that he wasn't really listening to Mimi anymore.

"A white cat like digimon and champion level as well if I remember correctly."

'Yuko' looked up, finding himself very interested in what she had just said. The oracle had told him that it was the girl with the white cat that knew of her location, could she have meant that it was the girl she was talking about? It was highly unlikely but it was the first clue he had in ages, even if it were an accidental one.

"Where are they now?" he asked.

Mimi's face suddenly became downcast. "TK was still in the tavern when the fire came. I tried to get him but a beam fell and blocked the path. I was cowardly and panicked, leaving him there.

"The Elvin girl came to find me in the fire, recognising me as the barmaid. She ran into the fire when she learnt what happened. After the fire was finally put out I went back to search for them, since neither returned but their remains weren't there, unlike _his_." Mimi shivered; even though he was gone she couldn't bring herself to say his name. He had scared her too much. She had been little more than a slave.

"I'm sorry."

"It's OK. I know they're not dead. I think they managed to get out somehow."

"Where do you think they would be heading?"

"Why is this so important to you?" she asked, eyeing the brunette critically.

"Something the oracle told me," he replied, not giving away the details.

A coy smile appeared on her face. "I think I might know where they're heading. TK wanted to go see the oracle to find the princess, that's why he was back here. If they did make it out then that's where they'll be heading."

"Thank you Mimi," he said getting to his feet, "I have to go now but I promise next time I'm back here it won't be for business." He kissed her lightly on the cheek, a simple gesture among friends that managed to heat her face considerably. He smiled at her, before leaving.

She sighed as she watched the brunette leave. She was one of the few who knew the truth about his past, where he came from, what he did and she knew how anxious he must be to find the princess, especially after –

"GET BACK TO WORK YOU LAZY COW," shouted her boss from the cellar.

"I'm going, I'm going," muttered Mimi as she got back behind the counter. The job didn't pay much but she knew how lucky she had been to find one after the fire, and she also knew how easy it would be to replace her at the moment.

-

Kari winced as she felt her wrist burn once more. It had been two days now since the spell had been placed on her and she couldn't believe that it hadn't been noticed yet.

Sure they had looked at her curiously every time she told them that they had to keep moving but so far nobody had asked her why. Gatomon had tried but the look in Kari's eyes told her not to pursue the matter further. It was normal for partners to have a few secrets from each other but she couldn't help but feel hurt that Kari wasn't telling her something but knew the princess probably had a good reason for it.

She wondered why she had been stupid enough to let that sorcerer get to her, why she had used her magic to save the four of them, when TK was looking for her. In a world full of magic it was important not to let your mind become unguarded. It was a rule taught since childhood.

Then there was the stupidity of nearly revealing that skill to TK. If he tried to find out how she had managed to escape the fire with three passengers then there was always the risk of him discovering something he shouldn't when digging into her past, something that could tell him who she was. That wasn't allowed to happen. She needed to be free.

Her wrist burnt once more, sending out the signal of her location. She couldn't be traced by magic because her own magic, weak as it may be, protected her but that cloaked figure had attached his own magic to her wrist, at least that was what the brunette had told her.

The burning sensation was a side effect of the magical seal sending out signals to its to its true master so that it could be returned. They didn't need to try and trace her anymore; they needed to trace the magic that did not belong to her, magic that had been forcefully attached to her wrist.

She had so much on her mind. If they found her she would be taken back to the castle or worse. She looked over at TK maybe she should tell him, after all he was in danger too if she was found, but if she did tell him then he would take her to King Ashnark and force her to not only fight in the war but to lead it. And also, for some strange reason, she didn't want to see TK's face when he found out that he lied to her.

She knew that she was highly strung and that they probably suspected, more like knew, something was wrong but she didn't want to worry them if she told them. And if she did, TK was going to want to know why someone would go to great lengths to find her. Then she would have another problem on her hands; also if one person could trace the foreign magic then everybody else looking for her could be too.

There was only one thing to label it – a disaster.

"Kari," TK said suddenly, "You've been acting strange ever since you came round. Tell me why. Don't we at least deserve to know that?" he demanded, finally snapping.

Kari's attitude had been getting to him and he had had enough. He wanted to know what was bothering the girl. "And you still haven't told us how we were about two days worth of travelling deep into the forest because that's impossible. Thinking about it properly I worked out that not even an hour had passed. Don't you trust us enough to explain how we got out here, deep inside the forest and what's bothering you so much?"

Kari glared at him and looked right into his eyes, walking up to him so that they could feel each other's breath on their own face. "I don't have to tell you anything," she said in a deadly cold voice, intimidating TK despite how much taller her was than her, "You don't have any power over me. What I want to keep to myself I do. What I do, I do for a reason.

"I have no reason to trust you or your partner. There is only one reason and one reason only why I'm still with you. You know the way to The Oracle. If you didn't then I would have left you back when we first met, unfortunately you know what I need to know. Convenience over comfort."

With that she broke her gaze and started to walk away. "Come on, we have too keep moving."

"Why? Can't you at least tell us that? Because something's got you spooked and you're not the type to scare easy," he said, falling at her heels.

Patamon flew over to Gatomon's side. "Do you know what's bothering her?"

"No."

"Leave me ALONE," shouted Kari to TK, throwing her cloak over her shoulder and walking faster.

"Should we break them up?" Patamon asked, rather worried for TK, "What if Kari hurts him?"

"She won't," answered Gatomon, "Despite how weird their friendship is and the fact that she refuses to accept that there is a friendship at all, Kari cares for him and would never hurt him. Heck, she even jumped into a burning building to save him. You have nothing to worry about."

"Just tell me," TK said, sounding exasperated, "What are you so scared of?"

"Nothing. I just want you to stop asking questions," she shouted at him.

"If you're not afraid why are you being so defensive?"

"I am _not_ being defensive."

"Then just tell me whatever it is your hiding."

"If I told you everything that I was hiding then we'd be here forever. The short and simple answer is that's the most you're going to get out of me."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to know," Kari said, turning to face him once again. Her eyes were burning was anger but underneath the fiery rubies there was a sliver of fear. She knew this would happen. She knew it.

"Know what?" asked TK.

"Know what I'm not telling you." She let out a cry of frustration.

"Why don't you trust us?"

"I barely know you. Plus, my trust doesn't come easy. You think that just because we've known each other for a week that I'm going to talk. Well sorry but it doesn't work like that. My trust hast to be earned."

"Then what can I do to get you to trust me?"

"I don't know. I –" Kari looked away.

She didn't know how to admit that she may never trust anyone fully enough to tell them her past. She had been hurt in the past too, being used by child of noble families who only wanted to get close to her for their own personal gain or who showed contempt towards her for her dream of being free. Her own father had betrayed her when he sent away her only friend. She was too hurt and too scarred to believe she could trust like she once had again.

The silence that loomed over them was deafening. Even the sounds of the forest seemed to vanish in the tense moment, broken by a single snap of a twig. Kari was instantly alert, sensing that something was wrong. It was just too quiet for an animal to have made that noise; an animal would have continued moving along making a noise, which meant they were being stalked.

"Get down," she shouted to TK, hearing the air being cut as an arrow flew towards him. He only just managed to avoid it. "Into the bushes, they'll provide cover," she commanded, taking control of the situation as she drew and arrow and loaded it into her bow, her eyes scanning the area for the enemy as she backed into the foliage behind her. Her eyes narrowed and in a sudden release her own arrow split the air, finding its target.

"What's going on?" asked TK.

"It's an ambush," cried Patamon, flying to his partner, while Kari conversed silently with her own.

"They know who I am."

"How?" asked Gatomon, her eyes widening with fear. A guilty look passed over Kari's face and she lifted her sleeve, revealing the ugly snake burnt into her skin.

"I'm sorry for not telling you," she whispered, "Now we're all in danger."

"We'll be fine. I can take their digimon if you can take out the humans." Kari nodded admirably at her partner.

"There are two over in that direction, both are rookies. There's another three over there but one of them is a champion level like you, think you can take them?" Gatomon nodded, before disappearing up the tree, working her way around to take her adversaries by surprise while Kari made her way over to TK. "Are you ready to fight?"

TK drew his sword in answer, while not as outstanding as Kari's own ruby sword it was strong and well made.

"Good because it's five against two, not counting the man I took down already," Kari told him, before slipping away. TK followed suit and snuck off in the other direction, staying alert at all times. Patamon flew silently by his side, his tan fur blending in with the forest in the perfect disguise.

TK spotted two soldiers just ahead of them. Time to see if fighting those Orgles had pulled off.

-

Kari smirked as she aligned her bow with three soldiers on horseback. She released the strain and three arrows flew through the air in a flash, one taking out a soldier, one wounding another's sword arm but the third missed its mark.

The moment she missed she knew her advantage was lost, she had revealed her position and was now open to attack. The lead soldier, from what she was guessing, whistled, urging the horse forward.

Kari dropped her bow into a nearby shrub and drew her ruby sword, letting years of intense training take over her movements. She charged at the soldiers, as the horses thundered towards her. She pushed upwards with her feat, leaping into the air and grabbing one of the horses neck, swinging herself on and knocking the wounded soldier off and, with a sickening thud, he hit his head on a rock, knocking him out cold.

A pain in her arm, as an arrow dug into her flesh, reminded her that she wasn't safe yet and she still had one soldier to deal with. She winced as she pulled the arrow from her arm and dug her heels into the horse's side, speeding it up as they cleared a fallen tree.

The man on the horse next to her narrowed his eyes and drove his horse closer to her and she returned the look with a glare, pulling on the horses reigns, bringing to a sudden stop, as she flung her dagger into the man's back mercilessly.

He groaned at the action but pulled it out and chucked it to the side, digging his heals into the horse causing it to charge at her. She replied in same, holding her sword out before her as they collided.

The sound of metal clashing against metal filled the air, causing her horse to rear up in surprise. She gripped the reign tightly and turned the horse around in time for her to intercept the soldier's next attack. The force at which he hit knocking her backwards off her horse.

She cursed silently as her horse ran off, leaving her without a mount as the man charged at her again, the earth pounding under the horse's hooves. She leapt to the side at the last second, holding her sword to the side and cutting the man's horse down the side.

It reared up at the injury, the rider holding on tightly to the reigns but sliding off. Free of it's burden, the horse bolted into the forest and away from the fight.

The soldier limped slightly as he took up a duelling stance. She nodded at his perseverance and lunged, her ruby blade clashing against steel. Her agility and speed gained her the upper hand whilst his brute strength knocked her back.

The blades clashed again, both holding firm whilst they studied each other. The man was skilled and knew his duty and for that Kari could admire him but if he won the fight then it could possibly mean her life and if not it would be her imprisonment. She could not let that happen.

The man must have seen the sudden change in her eyes, the knowledge that she would never give up, as he froze slightly, giving Kari an edge. She twisted her blade quickly, catching the man's under it and sending it flying across the forest floor.

She held her blade to his throat, ruby eyes glinting in the forest light with an unnameable emotion. Her voice was heavy as she spoke, almost devoid of emotions. "I'm sorry. I cannot allow you to live."

His eyes visible through his helmet widened in understanding but he bowed his head in understanding. "I will not beg for my life," he stated.

"And for that I honour you," she replied, unblinking as she lunged the blade forward, killing the man.

Her ruby eyes glistened slightly but tears would not fall. She knew it would come to this eventually. She watched the body slump to the floor and the crimson blood run town the tip of the blade before wiping it clean and replacing it in its sheath.

She walked over to the man's sword and picked it up, examining it slightly and its Amarian make. At least she knew now who was after her but it didn't settle her one bit. She walked back to the body of the man who had fought valiantly and pushed the blade into the ground before him.

She carefully removed his helmet, examining the young and handsome features of the man whose life she took, before she replaced it on the hilt of his blade and uttered a prayer for him.

She didn't have the time to give him a proper funeral but this would have to do.

She turned and walked back the way she came when she heard a horse trot up beside her and a small smile crept its way up her face. "So you came back, did you?" she spoke aloud, examining the horse and recognising it as the one she had ridden.

She slipped her foot into the stirrup and lifted herself up onto the horse. Now the fight was over she took in the powerful muscles and form of it and, while not as magnificent as the ones at the palace, was undoubtedly strong and healthy. She clicked her heels into its side; urging it back to where she had left TK, worry for the boy entering thoughts unwillingly.

"TK, Gatomon, Patamon," she called, returning to where she had last seen them. She climbed off the horse and looked around. Her calls were met by silence. "Where are you?" she asked even louder, "Guys?"

A firm hand landed on her shoulder and reflexes took over and she jammed her elbow into the person behind her who groaned in pain.

"Remind me not to surprise you," a familiar voice groaned.

"TK," she cried, examining the little worse for wear but other than that perfectly healthy boy. "Why didn't you answer?"

"I was busy," he cried out, "And then you attacked me."

"Just a little jumpy."

"You've been jumpy for days!"

"So what? Who cares if I've been jumpy?"

"They were after you."

"What makes you believe they were after me? They attacked the both of us in case you didn't realise."

"It was you they wanted. Don't even deny it. They asked after you." He paused, his voice becoming slightly darker at the implications of what the answer to his question would be. "Did you know they were coming?"

The girl looked down guiltily. She was right about bringing trouble. She pulled her sleeve down, revealing the seal on her arm for the second time that day, the snake wrapped around her wrist. "I'm being tracked."

"Why?"

"I told you before, I'm a thief," she said shortly.

"Not that," he hissed, "why didn't you tell us about this. Don't you think we deserve to know about this? You could have got us killed."

"It was none of your business," she snapped.

"None of my business? We almost got killed back there."

"You should have been more alert then."

"There was no reason to be alert."

She laughed slightly. "You're walking through the forest with someone you don't know, has admitted to being a thief, and proven herself dangerous and you feel that you don't need to be alert? You're a fool."

"Don't take this out on me. This is all your fault."

"You're right. This is my fault. If I didn't save you then my mind would never have been open to attack and I would be walking free and pretty by now away from you. So in fact, _TK_, this is your entire fault that I'm even in this situation. If you hadn't been conversing with mercenaries or whoever the hell it was then none of this would ever have happened."

That said she stormed off to find her partner and to scour the forest for where her bow and dagger had been dropped.

Once she was gone the angry set of TK's face vanished into a smile. A week ago he would never had gotten that reaction out of his mysterious travelling partner. If he didn't know any better then he would have to say she was warming up to him.

* * *

I told you it was slightly darker. I had Kari kill the man. He died before but it was kind of different. Instead of getting the dagger in his back before and dying he contined to fight. I needed him to show that not all of the enemy are necassarily the bad guys. Some of them are good people fighting fr thier country. It's the leaders who are corrupt.

It was also important that Kari had to kill the man because it hasn't completely hit home yet the concequences of running away. But don't worry, she will. Soon. By taking the life personally, it's going to set in just what the price of freedom really means when it comes to her.

Also the fight wasn't so bad in the original version but that's because I needed the stress of killing the man Kari had respected because of thier fight and also to show that she's much more open with TK than before. If this happened when they first met then she wouldn't have cared what he thought about her actions, shrugged and continued on her way.

Instead, Kari reacts the way she does because she cares what TK thinks about her and tries to reason her ways. She's stressed and someone she has grown fond of is shouting at her so she fights back. If she didn't care about TK she would have threatened him like in thier first meeting.

Please Review. Update will be in two days, again.


	12. To Talk

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters an anything related

* * *

**Chapter 12 – To Talk**

The fire crackled in the dying light. It's soft glow danced on Kari's face as she rested her eyes, after being awake so long out of fear of getting caught TK had finally managed to persuade her that she should get some rest.

There had been a tension between the two for the last few days because of their fight that nobody dared to mention. Kari knew it had been wrong for her to react the way she did but the stress and guilt of killing the unnamed soldier that had gained her respect had gotten to her.

Things weren't so black and white anymore. She killed an innocent man for the selfish desire to stay free.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, looking up at TK.

"For what?"

"For not telling you about this," She said lifting her arm slightly, "because I didn't say anything I put everyone in danger, including Gatomon."

"It's okay," TK shrugged. He had done a lot of thinking himself and decided it wrong of him to react the way he did. There were secrets that he kept too.

"No, it's not. I had no right to endanger everyone like that. You could've been killed," snapped Kari.

"Don't blame yourself. I trust you had a good reason for not telling us. I trust you."

"You do?" asked Kari, slightly surprised. She had never really been anything but cold to her companion. He had no reason to trust her like he said he did. "Why?"

TK looked up at her, his sapphire eyes meeting her own ruby eyes, "Because we're friends." Kari must have looked shocked because he continued; "We've been travelling together for a over week now. That makes us friends."

"Bu-but I've been nothing but harsh to you," stuttered Kari.

"You're a good person. I can tell that and…"

"And what?"

"You remind me of someone I once knew?"

"Oh…what happened to them?"

"I didn't see her for a very long time and she vanished just before the war." A smiled tugged onto his face at the irony of the statement. Princess Hikari's disapearence was the cause of the war.

"I'm sorry," whispered Kari.

TK shook his head, "Don't be." A small smile grew on his face. "We used to play together all the time as kids. We'd sit at this pond and just talk for hours whilst our digimon went off and caused havoc. We made a promise on the night of the solstice that we'd be friends forever but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

"I knew from the start it wouldn't last. She was the daughter of a highly ranked nobleman," he explained, leaving out the part where her father was the highest a nobleman could get. "I was just a simple kitchen boy. My mother wasn't even married to my father. The scandel made it hard for us to find nwork in many places.

"Anyway, my friend's father, he didn't like me very much. It wasn't befitting of her to be friends with someone like me, especially as I'm male. She was bossy at times and didn't often realise how much trouble her actions got me and my mother into but she was a good friend.

"She tried her best to protect me from the goings on the the upperclass but, after a certain incident, her father made it so that if I ever went near her again I'd be killed on the spot.

"Me and my mother had to leave after that. It was even harder to get a job but we got by. Then there was the fire. King Ashnark found me and took me in. He's done so much for me. Without him I would be stuck in so no name town fearing the king's guard. I owe him so much for what he's done."

Kari nodded but remained silent. This was the first serious conversation she had really had with TK and several things he said struck her. She never really thought about how her actions would affect other people and him some cases still didn't. She never once stopped to think about the lives she would destroy by abandoning her duties. She was reckless and selfish but because of what TK said, she was forced to think about the harm her actions caused to others.

"When I was younger I only really had one friend," she said softly, looking up through the caps in the forest sky, "Before then I was always alone. Training meant everything to me. It meant I could get stronger, gave me more control. Control was something my life always lacked. In a way there was too much of it and in another there was none at all, at least none that I had over it.

"So when my friend came along, part of me, no matter how small, enjoyed the fact that I was in charge and he had to do as I wished and in return I had to look after him. I didn't realise until he was sent away that I was never in control. My actions cost me something I cared about.

"I through myself into training even more after that, control of the blade, contol of the body, and contol of the mind. Those were the three things I could always count on to be mine. After I saved you from the fire, the control of my mind slipped and somebody was able to get in.

"I couldn't fight it. I couldn't do anything. Something I had always relied on as being just mine was taken from me. The sorcerer managed to put a seal of his own magic on me so I could be traced because I lacked control.

"I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to worry all of you but deep down, saying it outloud would mean admitting I lost contol. I couldn't do that. I need that stability. When I lost my friend, it was all I had left."

TK nodded before smiling slightly. "Has something I said changed your opinion of me?"

"Why?"

"That's the most I've heard you willingly say about yourself since I met you – and by a long shot."

"Then I guess, yes, you did say something."

"You going to tell me what?"

Kari pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Maybe someday, just not yet. For now just know that, in a way, I'm glad to be your friend and I want to start over. No harshness and blocking you out completely."

"That sounds pretty nice."

"Yes," sighed Kari, "It does."

TK smiled at their newfound friendship and wondered what it was that made her change her mind.

She closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep and whispered so softly that TK could only just hear, "It'll be nice to know how it feels to have a friend again after all these years."

-

The young princess laughed as Nyaromon landed on her head. "Come on silly, he's waiting for us."

"Is Tokomon going to be there too?"

"Uh huh," nodded the ruby eyed girl, "Now stop messing up my hair and let's go," she said with a grin, hopping out her room cheerfully before running down the corridors. "Catch me if you can Nyaromon," she shouted back as she ran round the corner.

She giggled and looked back, the small head that was her partner hopping along close behind her.

"Not – fair – you – have – legs – Kari," Nyaromon complained, her words punctuated with every bounce.

"You could still catch me if you tried to," teased the Kari, running round the corner and into someone. She was about to hit the floor when someone grabbed her wrist. She looked up into large chocolate brown eyes. "S-sorry," she apologised, turning red from embarrassment.

"No need to be princess. It is I who should apologise," replied the older brown haired boy, "Are you alright though?"

She nodded and smiled. "You sound awful pretty to be a kitchen boy. Why is that?" she asked, her curiosity picking up.

"I just…"

"Just what?"

"I just try to copy how important folks like you and the other royals speak your highness," he replied quickly before looking down at his side to his pink digimon, who was balancing a tray on his head precariously, "You should be on your way princess and I need to help Korromon before he spills her highness's tea otherwise Madame Aihiritu will be angry at me when she has to take it in."

Kari nodded happily, "OK. It was nice meeting you; maybe you can be friends with Takumi and me one day. Bye," she waved, taking Nyaromon in her hands and running off round the corner.

"Who's Takumi?" asked the brunette when she was gone.

"That's what she calls one of the kitchen boys for some reason," replied Korromon, trying to shrug which is difficult when you're only a head, and only succeeded in sending the tray balanced on his head flying.

"Oh no," the boy gasped, "I'm so in for it when Aihiritu finds out."

"He was nice, wasn't he?" commented Hikari.

"Yep, he was," replied Nyaromon before her eyes lit up, "Tokomon! Bye Kari," she said, hopping out of her hands and joining Tokomon.

The blonde looked puzzled. "What?"

"Can't tell you yet. It'll ruin the surprise. Come on, take my hand," she said handing her petite hand to him, smiling when he clasped his own around hers.

"Where are we going?"

Kari smiled mischievously, "Not yet, just follow me," she replied, giving a tug at his hand and pulled him along the corridors. Their footsteps echoing in the richly decorated palace until she pulled him into a courtyard, lit by the torches since it was night.

Kari let go of his hand and ran over to the Koi fishpond. "Come on Kumi," she said waving to him, or you'll miss your surprise."

The blonde laughed and ran to join his friend under the full moon. As he got closer he noticed there was a blanket laid out on the floor. "What's this for?"

"Your surprise. It's almost time."

"Time for what?"

"I've already told that I can't tell you," the princess said sitting the down on the blanket, beckoning for 'Takumi' to join her. "It's just as well that it's a cloudless night."

"Is that something to do with my surprise?"

The princess blushed, scratching the back of her head. "Did I say that out loud?" The boy nodded, a small grin on face. "Oops."

The young princess lay her head down on his lap and smiled up at him. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

"And you're mine."

Kari smiled. "It's time, look at the sky," she said, marvelling at something unseen to her friend's eyes.

"I can't see anything?"

"You can't see it?" asked Kari disappointed. The blonde shook his head. "Oh…" Suddenly she shook her head, "I forgot, only some people can see it but that's OK, take my hand."

He did as he was told and silently gasped as a silvery rainbow appeared in the night sky. "What is that?"

"It's a lunar rainbow. They appear on the winter solstice and the summer solstice to those with the ability to see them. I don't know why I can see them but father wasn't too happy when I told him. I wanted you to see it because you're my friend and I don't ever want to loose you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"But my father…I'm scared he'll send you away."

The blonde looked at her, saddened by the tears forming in her eyes. "Don't worry, even if that does happen I promise we'll be best friends forever."

The princess wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "Swear?"

"I swear."

"So do I. I swear by the lunar rainbow that you'll always be my best friend." She buried herself further into his chest to hide her face, rosy from being so close to him.

-

Kari opened her eyes slightly. "So it was you TK," she whispered silently to herself. "But why are you after me now? Surely you know how important freedom is to me, why would you want to take that away from me?"

* * *

So Kari knows and there's a more peaceful, although not completely peaceful relationship between the two. Kari's going to be struggling with how to act around him. Knowing that he was 'Takumi' brings out the old feelings she had for her friend, she now knows she caused lots of pain for TK, and there's also the fact there's a feeling of betrayal there.

Takumi was her only friend aside from Gatomon as a child and because of that he became really important to her, finding out that he's hunting her down so that some king she's never met can practically use her as a weapon is a huge betrayal of that trust she gave him. She knows that he cared about her so she doesn't know why he's acting the way he is.

Also, they're not the same people they were as children. They've grown up a lot. TK was more or less banished from his home with her mother and then because of the king's soldiers she died in a fire. King Asxhnark took him in, helped him, and trained him. Without the man TK proably would have died a long time ago so he feels indebted to him.

On the other hand Kari has isolated herself from all friendships, caring only about Gatomon, her training, and her desire to be free. Those are the only things that kept her going instead of giving in. She's also grown to hate her father more than anything else in the world. In other words, Kari is fiercely independant, is constantly trying to become stronger, and cares little about anything besides a few things, and is very temparmental, seeing how she's so angry at the world and her father.

During the journey so far, she's been forced to open her eyes a bit. Not everything is black and white. She used to hate the soldiers because they kept her locked up in the palace but she's realised they're just doing thier jobs. She;s also had to kill a man to keep her freedom, something which is going to make her see the world more clearly.

Please review. Next update will be soon.

Oh and can someone tell me the difference between Naruto and Naruto Shippodon. Or are they the same thing?


	13. To Help

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

* * *

**Chapter 13 – To Help**

In a way, Kari was glad that they had to be on the move constantly. The threat that was the seal on her wrist was just enough to keep her mind lingering on either the fact she killed an innocent man to keep her secret safe or the discovery that TK really had been Takumi.

Sure, she and Gatomon had talked about the possibility before but most of it had been jokingly. It was next to impossible that the first person they ran into whilst in the forest had been him. But it had.

She wasn't sure what she was going to do with that information. She had told Gatomon nearly as soon as she worked it out but both had kept their feelings to themselves about the matter for the time being.

Kari didn't really have a choice in the matter. She didn't know what she felt. She was a confusing mass of emotions and she had no idea which one to act on. When she first made the connection between the two people, she felt her old fondness for the boy come back.

Then there was guilt. The things her father had done because of their friendship, the way TK had been treated. It was all her fault. TK had to leave his home because of her, his mother had burned to death in an inn somewhere because her father let the soldiers treat the family however they liked. Her actions had caused him so much harm.

Guilt consumed her the last few days. After the death of the soldier it took a while for what she had done to set in and when it did she snuck away from the group so she could cry in privacy.

She was a monster. She had taken his life to ensure that she was not taken back into custody. She killed him for the selfish reason of keeping her secret intact, even though she knew that in a few days time she could be found again. It was a pointless loss of live. She could have let him go free but then he could have told anyone where she was and who she was travelling with.

It was troubling her almost as much as TK.

She watched the boy more these days. He was different to how she remembered. He was older, more aware of the harshness of the world, and more confident in himself before, though he still carried the same softness.

She hated the anger, hurt, and betrayal every time she saw him that came with the old affection she had for the man. She wanted to know why he would take the princess to King Ashnark when he knew how much she hated imprisonment. She would be used as a weapon and nothing more. How could he betray her like that?

He had been her only friend, besides Gatomon, and he betrayed her trust. Was it some form of vengeance because she inadvertently caused the death of his mother? Was it because he hadn't really cared about her after all? That he was pretending, like everyone else in her life? Or was there another reason?

She hated the confusion she felt. She wanted to scream and shout at TK, demand answers but she couldn't because that would mean revealing who she was. If she did that, then he could force her to go to King Ashnark. She didn't want that, knowing it would make hiss betrayal even more real.

With her emotions in turmoil there were times when she would open up near completely with TK, seeing only Takumi and the Koi pond, the promise to be friends forever. Then there were times when the feeling of betrayal would rise to the surface and she would act cold and distant, sometimes angrily towards him

She knew that she was confusing TK with her constant swing of emotions but she couldn't help it. She wasn't grounded anymore. Everything had changed.

The soldiers used to be bad but now they were just doing their job. Keeping her freedom didn't hurt anybody; she had caused all the countries to go to war and had killed an innocent man to keep her secret. Takumi had been her trusted friend and confidant but TK was retrieving the princess on orders the king.

Nothing made sense. So she focused on the only thing that could contend with it all. The seal on her wrist meant she could be found at anytime. Any amount of people could be following and, as long as it was there, they were in very real danger.

If they were captured, she may live but TK meant nothing but a threat. He would be killed without question.

Even if he had betrayed her, every time she thought of him dying filled her with even greater pain. She could not allow that to happen but she had no idea what to do. She had not been able to study seals in much detail at the palace.

She knew her father had a sorcerer in his employ that was a master at them though and that they could be used for many things. The variety was amazing. Some could heal, some could give the receiver extra strength or agility, some could be used for tracking and they could even be used to repress memories. She had once seen that one performed on a man at the palace who had managed to discover private plans of her father a year before.

She guessed that those plans were about the war.

Because of the sheer power a wielder of seals could have and the fact that when she was younger she had tried to use one in her escape, her father had all books regarding seals to be locked away where only himself and the sorcerer had access to them so she had no clue to how it could be removed/

'This is going to be a problem.'

-

The brunette smiled as his partner blasted down the wall with ease. "Thanks," he smiled, "Leave it to me now and get to safety."

His partner nodded. "You should move before the guard comes to examine what happened."

The brunette smiled slightly. "You too."

"Look after yourself then."

"I will," the brunette said, climbing over the rubble, "And so must you." He quickly ran through the shadows and up to the temple. The wooden shine to the local god decorated with gold and jewels stood outside the main entrance, guarded by several digimon and members of the king's own, an elite group of soldiers specially trained for protecting the king with their life, meaning they were guarding something very important if the king had given up some of his own protection in times of war, something that the brunette had made it his duty to find.

He ducked behind some trees at the side and circled the building, noting that any possible entrance or exit was guarded by at least two members of the king's own. He cursed under his breath. They would have discovered the wall by now which meant he didn't have much time to complete his task. "OK, plan B," he muttered and began climbing a tree, the only one with branches starching out onto the temple roof but it was half rotten, meaning it may not take his weight and alert the soldiers to his presence.

He took his first step out onto the branch, very much aware of the cracking sound under his feet, and kept walking. He was halfway out, beads of sweat trickling down his face from the intensity of the situation, when the branch suddenly shuddered and dropped an inch rather suddenly.

"Come on," he said to himself, "You can do this. You have to. It's because you failed her again that you have to do this anyway."

He closed his eyes and walked forward, keeping his steps light and treading on the more secure areas of the branch. He could hear the branch was about to give way and threw himself from the branch, grabbing the roof tiles just before the branch crashed to the floor noisily. He swore. Somebody had to have heard that. He swung himself up onto the roof and flattened himself in the shadows as two figures approached.

"What happened here?"

"The branch has fallen."

"Do you think it's related to what happened to the wall?"

There was a silence for a bit as the men shuffled around before the second replied. "No. Look here. The branch is completely rotted through. Any strong wind that came by and it would just get too much and collapse, could have happened anytime. Now back to your post or we'll be in for it. The king doesn't want anyone getting into the temple. We're to keep watch whilst the others try to find out what happened with the wall."

The brunette waited a moment to be sure no one was coming back before getting up and climbing the sloped roof and climbing in through a window, careful not to hit his chin on the edge as he dropped several feet into the temple. He closed his eyes and leant back on the wall, sighing out of relief that nobody saw him.

A cough interrupted his thoughts abruptly and he opened his eyes. The room was filled with soldiers, all pointing their swords at him, further back there were several archers with arrows that he could tell had been dipped in the blood of a orgle, meaning that they were poisonous to humans. Their animal-like digimon all growling and snarling at him, as he assessed the situation he had managed to land himself in.

"Shit," he swore.

"Who are you?"

He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and leaving it there. "Any chance you'd forget that you'd seen me and let me go?"

The leader, fortunately the only member of the king's own in the room, signalled for them to move closer until the blades were a breath away from the brunette's throat.

"Didn't think so. So will you kill me in a temple? This is sacred land, you know."

"Tell me who you are."

"Take that as a no then. Oh well, I'll just have to do this then." He swung the hand that he had moved behind his back whilst distracting the soldiers with pointless questions in front of him, the small orb of orange energy he gathered in it exploding outwards in a crackling flash, masking everything in a sheet of white and leaving everyone but the brunette unconscious when it finally vanished.

He panted, short of breath after expending so much energy on the orb but there was no other way. If he had tried to fight then he would have been dead before he could even draw his sword and even if he could have then he would have felt bad at spilling blood on the sacred land.

He wasn't particularly religious but knew enough to know that killing in a temple was a big bad.

"This is no time for weakness," he chastised himself, standing upright and taking off down the hallways, hopefully they wouldn't have any more soldiers placed inside but he highly doubted that that would be the case. His steps echoed on the wooden floor as he ran, making his way to the centre of the temple, knowing that would be where he would find his target.

He skidded round the last corner and quickly ducked back behind the wall, out of the eyes of the two members of the king's own and their Bearmon, who seemed to have a higher level of armour than previous ones he had encountered.

He couldn't use magic, like he had back in the room of guards, since he didn't have much to begin with and he'd used most of it up already and it'll take a while for him to regain it all back. If he tried to push himself then the consequences would be too severe, blacking out at most if he was lucky.

He would have to fight them and he was at a disadvantage without his partner. He gripped the handle of his sword and remembered his swords master from his earlier years. He had once told him that if he was going to wield the sword properly that he had to have a reason behind each swing that was moral and pure. He could see the princess's face in his mind, laughing and joyful with her freedom. Suddenly it changed and soldiers appeared surrounding her, throwing nets at the girl and shooting her down with arrows.

His expression hardened. He would never let them find her. He would protect her with his life. He would not fail her again.

The sword made a metallic sound as it slipped with ease from its sheath. The guards turned to face the brunette as he walked proudly round the corner, his deep chocolate eyes catching theirs dangerously, almost as if challenging them to a fight.

-

"Gatomon," sighed Kari, "Do you think I'm selfish."

"What?" Gatomon asked, half falling from the tree in surprise, only to be saved by Kari. "What makes you say that?"

"I guess it's been bugging me for a while," Kari said honestly, stabbing a fruit on a nearby branch with an arrow to retrieve it without having to move, "Sometimes I see all the suffering this war is causing and I think "I could stop this. All this pain, I could stop it. If I handed myself in then all this pain would end. They'd be no more reason to continue fighting if I just hand myself in." But I don't. I could end but I don't just because I want to remain free. I take my selfish need over the thousands have been hurt or lost in this war. What does that make me? Worse than everyone else."

"Kari," Gatomon said sympathetically, "You know it wouldn't happen like that. Your father would continue fighting and the war would go on and you would be a prisoner again. Nothing would change and if it does then it'll only be for the worst."

"I know but still back at camp we've TK looking for me because of a prophecy that claims I'll be the one to stop the war if I lead them into battle. I could go back and help the people but I'm not. I'm pretending to be someone I'm not so I don't have to go and help these people. How selfish is that?" she asked as she studied the yellow skinned fruit.

"It's not selfish Kari. You've wanted this your whole life. Selfish is other people wanting you to give up your freedom and possibly even your life for them. It's not fair on you to have such a burden. They shouldn't ask such things of you."

Kari nodded, wanting to believe what Gatomon was telling her but part of her remained unconvinced. She took a bite of her fruit.

It was bittersweet, just like her freedom.

-

Metal clashing against metal sounded in the temple as the brunette went face to face with his opponents.

"Awh, come on. Four on one, isn't that a bit harsh?" he asked, smiling slightly at how odd it was that he could make humorous, in his opinion anyways, remarks when he was in so much danger. But also in a way he could understand why he did it. It made the danger seem less real made it distant. In short it was just a way of coping with the fact that he was in serious danger.

Also, taunting his opponents made them more likely to dictate their moves through reckless anger, making their moves clumsier, besides, who didn't like a good taunt?

His opponents made no move to reply to him, as he ducked to avoid the member of the king's own swinging a sword at his head from behind him, only to have a Bearmon dig his teeth into his ankle drawing blood. He winced slightly at the pain as he adjusted is balance to compensate for his injury.

The brunette waved his sword over his head, hearing it cut the air as he swung it down on his enemy and as one of the digimon disappeared in a stream of data the sickening realisation that he had killed the man came down on him. The guilt bearing down on him because of the fact that he had done no wrong except to be working for the wrong person.

"Sorry," he whispered under his breath to the fallen man and his partner, as he elbowed the man behind him in the stomach before spinning round and hitting the man over the head with the butt of his sword, knocking him out.

He heard the man's digimon whine sadly as he checked his master. The brunette sheathed his sword, knowing a digimon would never fight when their partner needed their help, unless they were being attacked so that they could watch over them. He held his hands up to show that he had no intent the man further. The Bearmon nodded in understanding, before the brunette slid open the door and entered the temple's main room.

A single man sat in a meditate position in the centre surrounded by candles set out in a pentagon.

"So you're the sorcerer who's tracking the princess," he commented coldly, shocking the man.

"Who-who are y-you?" the man asked the invading brunette. "How did you g-get in? Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"

"I'm the one asking the questions but I'll answer that last one. We met in the princess's mind when you cast that spell on her. And I'm here to remove it."

The sorcerer began sweating nervously, backing away from the intruder. "If you want to do that shouldn't you be finding her?"

"Unfortunately we both know that I couldn't remove it even if I did find her. The only way to break that spell is to kill off the source of that magic."

"You wouldn't do that. We're in a temple –"

"With the priest using black magic. Now don't get me wrong, it's not right to kill in a temple but it would be worse if I let you carry on with what you're doing."

The sorcerer reached behind him and grabbed a handful of salt from the prayer bowl behind him and threw it in the brown haired boy's eyes and whilst he was temporarily blinded took his chance and scrambled out of the room.

The brunette wiped the burning salt from his eyes and half blind took after the sorcerer, not ready to fail, finally catching up with him as they reached the roof. "No where to run."

"Why are you doing this?" asked the resident priest, trying to distract the brunette long enough for the guards to find him.

"To protect the princess."

"Why?"

The brunette caught up with what the man was trying to do and decided to play along. "Because I left her behind," he said, appearing to drop his guard before running the sorcerer through with his blade, "when I swore to protect her, I left her behind." He pulled his sword back out, the blade dripping crimson vengeance.

He wiped the sword clean on the dead sorcerer's clothes before jumping down off the temple into some bushes and away, before the man was even noticed missing.

-

Dinner was slightly awkward, with nobody sure what to say. Moments like that were quite often, with nobody really knowing where the odd friendship stood.

"We should move soon," Kari said, pushing around the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks slightly. "We should be able to get a few miles in before nightfall."

"We've been travelling all day Kari. We can rest a bit."

"We don't have the horses anymore, seeing as somebody accidentally scared them off."

TK held his hands up defensively. "Come on. You know that was an accident."

"Accident or not, we are on foot and any pursuers are most likely on horseback."

"We can take a few hours rest."

"We need to keep moving."

"If we get some rest then we'll be in a better state to continue. Besides, we need to set up camp before it gets dark. There are dangerous creatures in this forest and not all of us can rely on the safety of the trees. Besides, there are witches out here."

Kari snorted, her anger vanishing at his childish anger. "You don't actually believe that, do you? Those tales are to keep young children out of the forest."

"It's true. You get stories of young females being stolen away by the witches for uses in their rituals all the time."

"And I suppose all these females are blushing virgins as well?"

TK glared at her. "It's still true. They go in but they don't come back."

"It's most likely just bandits."

"Witches."

"Bandits."

"Witches."

"Bandits."

"Witches."

"Ban –huh?" asked Kari, dropping her bowl of food in surprise.

"What is it?" asked TK, enjoying the new open atmosphere between the two separate parties in the group. He would ever have got Kari into such an immature fight before. There had been quite a few of them recently, when she wasn't ignoring him.

"It's stopped."

"What has?"

"The pain. The constant pain," she said rolling back her sleeve. "It's gone!"

"What? Let me see that," TK said walking over and examining her wrist. There was not a single trace of the seal left, not even a mark indicating that it had once been there. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

"You must have a guardian angel watching over you Kari."

Kari gave a small, amused laugh, "Well that's the first I've heard of it."

"Things are looking up for you Kari. Things are looking up."

TK smirked from where he was. "Looks like I win. We're setting up camp."

"It's still bandits."

"Witches."

"Bandits."

"Witches."

"If its witches then I'll give you my sword. Only fools believe in fairytales"

TK just glared at her.

* * *

So things are heating up. Kari's beginning to doubt herself and our mysterious anti-hero is becoming more active. Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter and any of my other stories.

Next Update will be in two days again.

_**Chapter 14 - To Spy**_

Reviewers get a preview of the next chapter.


	14. To Spy

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

* * *

**Chapter 14 – To Spy**

"Come on, I'm not that bad. Am I?"

"You are."

"No," TK protested.

"Yes," Kari said, nodding her head and smirking at him.

"Patamon?" asked, looking to his partner for support.

"I'm sorry but you are."

"No seriously, I'm not that bad."

"Come on," exclaimed Kari clutching her sides as she burst into laughter, "You snore like a rhino."

"I do not."

"It's three against one."

"But Gatomon hasn't said anything yet."

All eyes turned to the white cat, which was in the process of sneaking away, not wanting to cause an argument despite how amusing it was to watch the pair fight over something so petty and whimsical.

It was nice to see Kari opening up. The girl had forced all the problems she had to the back of her mind for now and, while Gatomon knew that it wasn't an entirely healthy thing to do, she knew Kari was planning on facing it as soon as she heard the prophecy from The Oracle. She could make her mind up once she knew the concequences of her decision. For now, she was just content to have her friend back. They both were.

"Well?" asked Kari and TK, each giving the poor digimon looks telling her that she better agree with them. Her fur was standing on end out of nerves.

"He doesn't snore like a rhino." TK shot Kari a victorious look and Kari looked betrayed, "But…he does snore like a pig." Kari stuck her tongue out at TK childishly.

"Told you that you snore."

"I'm so going to get you," TK said getting up and chasing Kari round the campfire, before she grabbed her bow and arrows and made herself a ladder up the side of the tree like she had when she first met him, and retreated up the tree, smirking down on him.

"Come down here."

"No."

"Why not?"

"You'll chase me again."

"Will not."

"Will too."

"True."

Patamon and Gatomon watched with rather amused expressions. To think that it had only been a few days since they had come to an agreement and they were already teasing each other like children, especially when Kari's cold moments were few and far between. "Kari sure is a lot happier," commented Patamon.

"Yes," sighed Gatomon happily, "Yes she is. I'm glad that she's back to normal. I've missed the carefree Kari. I'm glad that TK has broken through her walls because somebody needed to make her open up to someone other than me."

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "It's about time she learnt that she's allowed to be happy."

"You too."

"Huh?"

"You worry about her too much that you forget that you deserve happiness too."

"I have to worry for her though," Gatomon said sadly, watching as TK fell backwards as he tried to climb the tree, much to Kari's amusement. "If I don't look out for her and she for me then no one will. We're all each other has got."

"That's not true," Patamon said angrily, jumping to his feet. "You've got me and TK."

"And I'm glad but –"

"But nothing. We're your friends aren't we? We've been through so much together."

"More than you know," whispered Gatomon.

-

"Come on, what can I do to get you down?" asked TK, growing slightly annoyed but still very humorous about the whole situation.

"Let me think," Kari said, drawing out her words as she scratched her chin dramatically. "How about if you answer me three questions."

"What type of question?"

"You'll have to find out. But – you have to answer any question I ask you."

"Alright."

"OK, question one…have you ever met the princess?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"Hmm…question two. How well did you know the princess?" She was slowly working her way up to the important question.

"We were best friends."

"OK, last question. I have a good one. How did you really feel about the princess?"

Gatomon, who had been watching, smirked. This would be interesting, in more ways than one. She could see the glint in Kari's eyes. This was her way of working out some of the reasons behind the blond's betrayal. She wanted to know whether he really cared about the princess still.

However, it would be interesting to see how he answered. Everytime he spoke of his 'childhood friend' there was a tone of admirance that her sharp ears had picked up on.

"Do I have to answ–" began TK but he was cut off by Kari's amused voice.

"Yes you do. Or I'll be staying up in this tree."

"Fine. I –" A piercing scream filled the forest and the thunder of horses filled the forest. Kari grabbed her bow and ran across the branches in the direction she had heard it come from, staying hidden in the canopy. TK ran to the campfire and grabbed his sword, strapping it to his waist as he ran off after Kari, closely followed by the digimon.

-

"Please let me go," begged the young Elvin woman as the man dragged her to her feet by her long orange hair, tears forming in her hazel eyes.

"Tell me one good reason why I should, spy," he spat with disgust.

"Please, I'm not a spy. I'm just passing through I swear. I swear," she whimpered, falling to her knees as he tugged at her hair again. She stifled the cry of pain that formed at the back of her throat.

"Liar. What would a woman as young and pretty as you be doing so deep in the forest on your own, especially when travels through this forest have been forbidden since the princess was kidnapped? We don't want anyone sneaking out of the kingdom, now tell me why are you here?" the main said, placing his sword to her throat. Out the corner of her eye she could see the same thing happen to her Biyomon.

"Please," she begged, "I haven't done anything. I'm just passing through. It's the quickest way to get to our allies in the north. My village was burnt to the ground by Imprecatian raiders and I lost my family but I have cousins in the Baboa Mountains that I can stay with until the war is over."

The man pressed the sword closer to her neck, drawing a small pearl of crimson blood as she whimpered fearfully, "Tell me elf, where do the Elvin alliances lie. You have made a point of not mentioning anything and the king is getting rather frustrated."

"I don't know. I haven't returned to the homelands for a year. I do not know the politics of the area at the moment. I'm just a simple maid. Please don't hurt Biyomon."

"Then you are of no use to us," the soldier said, with an evil glint in his eye.

The elf closed her eyes and straightened up, shaking out of fear of what she knew was coming next. The soldiers had turned ruthless and bloodthirsty in recent weeks, becoming prejudice of people not from their kingdom or of human decent, meaning she was twice as prejudiced against.

She waited for the pain that would take her from this world but nothing came, except something skimming across her ear. She heard a thud and opened her eyes. The soldier had fallen backwards onto the ground and arrow protruding from his neck. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or fearful of her new foe, whoever they may be.

Two more arrows cut through the air, each hitting its mark as two more soldiers fell to the ground with fatal injuries, the last soldier looking around fearfully for his hidden opponent. 'Did that arrow come from the sky?' the elf girl thought, as she ran to Biyomon, shielding her with her body just in case this new foe was also her enemy.

There was silence in the forest, only the movements of the soldier and his Leomon as they searched for the archer could be heard. Then she dropped from the treetops, elegantly but deadly, throwing a knife that flew through the air, hitting the last soldier with fatal precision as she landed with as much grace as a cat. She looked up at the elf, who shivered slightly under her gaze.

"Kari," came a male voice, as a blonde came running over, followed by two digimon. "Are you alright? How did you get here so quickly?"

"Through the tree tops of course and I've never been better," she smiled and turned her attentions back to the elf, "Are you alright miss?"

"Yes, thank you," the ginger haired woman replied, although still rather tense around the brunette who might as well have been a trained assassin. She eyed her suspiciously, taking in everything about her, pausing over the ruby eyes.

"I'm Kari," she introduced herself, "And this is TK, Gatomon and Patamon."

The elf relaxed a little, loosening her grip on her partner, who seemed very relieved, "My name is Sora Take– just Sora. This is my partner Biyomon."

Kari watched her suspiciously at the stopping of the last name. She was almost certain of what she was about to say.

"We're very grateful to you for saving us," the pink, birdlike digimon announced.

"No problem," said TK, "But it was all Kari here."

"Where did you learn to do that?" asked Sora with intrigue. A pained expression crossed Kari's face. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"Don't worry," smiled Kari, "I made a promise to be more open with people," she smiled at TK, "and I don't see why that shouldn't include you. Back – back home I was trained in all sorts of weapons since a young age. It's not that I didn't like it – I loved it – it's just I associate it with my old life. I managed to escape that life but it still haunts me. The memories are as clear as ever."

TK couldn't help but be surprised and a little jealous of how much she had revealed to this stranger when she had said nothing so personal to her to him but he also felt happy that she was trusting people to get to know her and somehow she associated him with that. He could tell from that warm smile she gave him.

"So Sora, where are you heading?"

"I've got to going to the Baboa Mountains."

"Why?"

Sora looked at them, to the dead soldiers and then back to Kari, who had revealed something very personal about herself and she decided that could trust them. "I have a message for King Ashnark regarding plans of an attack on his sister kingdom led by the Amarian Kingdom. We need help."

"So you are a spy," exclaimed Kari, clearly finding amusement in how of all the people they would manage to run across in the forest it would be elf that was connected king Ashnark just like TK was connected to him.

"I'm not a spy," protested Sora, "I'm just taking a message to the king so we can save my kingdom from the Amarians."

TK nodded and Kari hid her guilty expression, knowing she was the cause of this war, in name at least. TK looked up, "We can take you there if you like and make sure that King Ashnark receives that message."

"You're heading that way?" asked Sora, trying to keep her hopes down. She was starting to regret that she had to undertake such a dangerous mission that could decide the fate of her entire nation on her own. If something happened to her, like it almost did today, then her kingdom would fall. However, she had been the only one that they could spare.

"We've got one stop to make on the way but that shouldn't take too long."

"You'll really take me with you?" Sora asked gratefully.

"Of course."

"But," she said turning away slightly, "If you get caught with me then you'll be killed too."

"That goes both ways," Kari said, unable to fight the urge to do so. It was true, if they were caught with her then they'd be charged with kidnapping and she'd be declared a traitor.

"What did you do?"

Kari smiled mysteriously, "Now that I'll keep a secret."

"How come you don't threaten her like you did me?" asked TK.

Kari smiled, her eyes lighting up in amusement. "I do not believe that it would be particually wise of me to threaten the only daughter of King Takenouchi. Am I right, _princess_ Sora?"

"It seems that I am more recognisable than I believed," Sora replied, ignoring Biyomon's gasp of surprise.

Kari smiled. "I know a princess when I see one. Most do."

What she really meant was that mosr princesses of the old kingdoms were gifted with the abilty to recognise another of their status. In days of the old it had been important that they recognise each other and the abilty had been passed down through the bloodline. However it was an abilty that was slowly being lost and it appeared that the Elvin Princess did not inherit the ability.

Sora nodded. "I should do something about that. It is of utmost importance that this meassage reaches King Ashnark and being recognised will only hinder my progress."

Kari nodded before a catlike grin spread across her face and she turned to the blue eyed boy who was still staring at Sora in shock. "Now TK, you never answered my third question."

"What was that?" asked Sora with great interest.

"What his true feelings to princess Hikari were," Kari said with a mischievous grin.

"Don't need to. You're out the tree now." Sora raised an eyebrow.

"Long story," explained Kari, noticing the look, "Now answer the question TK. You knew the rules."

"No."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Please."

"Not going to happen."

"TK," whined Kari.

Sora stifled a laugh and wondered who these people were. What she did know was that they were good people and she was glad that she had came across them, however she was curious about the blonde boy and his partner. They didn't know whether they were aware of the fact their friend was royalty or not.

She'd make a point of talking to the brunette alone - but for now she would just enjoy the pair's amusing antics.

"GET DOWN FROM THAT TREE KARI."

"Not until you answer that last question."

"KARI!"

-

Ken grabbed his bag and ran to the balcony, not wasting anytime with the key and went straight into kicking down the door, where he was greeted by Stingmon on the other side. He grabbed hold of Stingmon and tried to ignore the fact that the balcony had dropped away revealing armed soldiers with flaming arrows aimed at him and Stingmon and the fact that several flying digimon filled the sky blocking their escape.

"Stingmon," Ken warned his partner, just in time for him to move to the side and out of the line of fire.

"Insect Lord," Stingmon cried, releasing a swarm of insects that cleared a path for them to get away.

They ducked through the skies, swirling out of the way of the arrows and over the fort's wall. "We're safe," exclaimed Stingmon.

"Not yet," Ken replied gravely, just as rocks started to hurl through the air from the fort. Stingmon cried out as one brushed passed his arm, catching him on its jagged edge. "Are you alright?" Ken asked worriedly.

"Fine just a little –" he began, when a rock zoomed from behind of them, hitting the digimon full on. Stingmon spun around, shielding the black haired boy with his body from the fall as they hit the ground with such power that small rocks broke away from the ground and flew up in the air.

Ken coughed as he stirred, the dust beginning to settle around them. "Stingmon?" he asked, reaching out to touch his injured partner, who shifted in response but did not answer. "I'm glad you're alright. You were so brave but I can take it from here."

A bright light surrounded Stingmon as he shrunk down into a smaller rookie level digimon. Ken took him in his arms and ran through the trees, managing to avoid any soldiers, as he got closer to safety.

"Did you get it?" asked Wormmon after a while.

Ken smiled for the first time since he had entered the fort. "Yeh, I got it."

He looked down at the package in his bag and wondered about how the others were doing. He knew that Cody had already returned with his piece before he even had enough information to retrieve his safely but how the others were doing was unknown.

What he did know though, was that if they managed to pull this off, nothing would ever be the same again.

* * *

So Ken and Cody are in on the big plan too and once again Sam is dead but this time Ken has a sister that he wants to protect, which is his reasoning for going along with Ashnark's big scheme of things. Sam's death and "abandonment" of his siblings is Ken's motivational factor. He doesn't want to leave his sister to fend for herself like they had to do when his brother died. He's going to do anything in his power to protect her.

And Kari and TK have bumped into Princess Sora. :) Kari needs another girl around to talk about girly things with.

I've finished editing chapter 16, where they finally meet the oracle. I made quite a few changes there and several big changes to the prophecy scene, although it still has the same outline to it. I've added a couple of chunks in though. Its 14 1/2 pages of Arial size ten. I added a page and a half to it whilst cutting some chunks out.

Please **review**. You'll get a PREVIEW of the next chapter.

Chapter 15 - To Choose will be poseted in 2 days.


	15. To Choose

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

* * *

**Chapter 15 – To Choose**

Warm rays of light broke through the treetops and onto the upper branches, warming Kari's face as she sat there. She had woken up early, careful not to disturb anybody so that she could think some things through in peace. As the wind enveloped her gently she frowned.

"Why is everything so difficult?" she sighed.

She looked down at TK, his golden fringe lifting slightly into the air with every breath. "Is it so wrong of me to enjoy my freedom?"

She closed her eyes. The war was getting more violent. She already knew that but seeing Sora being attacked so ruthlessly had made her see how real and serious the situation was.

Before, a fleeting suspicion like the ones the Soldiers had against Sora wouldn't even warrant a fine if it were taken to court but those soldiers were going to kill her. Their actions were barbaric and they acted as if it were acceptable.

Then again, was she that different? She had killed the soldier for such a small and selfish reason. She had taken a life. It wasn't something she could simply give back if she realised it was a mistake. There were no second chances.

Every second she spent running there were more lives being lost, more people like Sora being attacked and part of her knew that so many lives could be saved if she handed herself in, or went like TK to help fulfil the prophecy.

But was it right for people to ask so much of her? She hadn't asked for any of it. She would be just as happy if she only had Gatomon and her freedom. It had been what she wanted all along. To get strong enough and to have enough control to be free and she finally had it. But it was tainted with the blood of the people who had lost their lives because of her. It was wrong.

How could they expect her to lead an army to war against her own nation? She knew better than anybody the fearsome cruelty that some of the soldiers possessed. She was barely sixteen and the northern kingdoms were saying that she was the only one that could lead them to victory, while those from the south, including her own, would probably kill her as an act of vengeance if they caught her or lock her up and force her to marry, making her a prisoner for the rest of her days.

Either way she would be used as a puppet to boost the morale of her captor's kingdom, stripped of her freedom and plunge into an uncertain fate.

And as long as she lived, putting her freedom first, then maybe things would only get worse. Her father's troops were rapidly spreading north and taking control of the lands that way. How could she sit still while so many people were suffering?

Why did people expect so much of her? She was just a girl who got lucky. If not for the fact that she found that book in the library what seemed a lifetime before then she wouldn't have known what to do. She would be married to that horrible prince, while her father went to war anyway.

She was nothing special; they should find somebody else capable of leading an army to victory that would bring out a better outcome for most because she wouldn't be able to. Once they saw her then they would know that. She didn't even have proper people skills!

Tears glazed over her ruby eyes as she finally caved into the pressure of everything in her life. Even now that she was free she couldn't escape her past or the future that seemed like it was planned out for her. Her salty tears ran down her face and she swallowed them bitterly.

"Why must people expect so much of me?"

Kari ran a hand through her fringe brushing across her slightly Elvin ears, reminding her that whatever the outcome was then she would never fully fit in with any group. She had too much Elvin blood to fit in with humans without standing out and she was too human to fit in with the elves. Then there were her eyes, ruby eyes unlike anyone she had met; even as a child she had been feared because of them. They were red, red like witch's. Any victory that came about wouldn't help her. She'd always be alone.

"What should I do?"

She wiped her tears from her eyes, hating that she'd given in to her weaknesses inside, but they reformed immediately. "Nothing I can do will ever be good enough in people's eyes. I stay hidden and I'm a coward, a heartless coward for not doing anything. I hand myself in and I'm weak, pathetic for being unable to survive on my own."

She looked down at Sora, her beautiful orange hair made her look like a real Elvin princess, like the ones in the fairytales she hated so much. She was so brave, taking on such a dangerous mission by herself, while she was hiding out in a forest. She hit herself in frustration. "Why am I so weak?" she thought bitterly. "I can't even admit who I am to TK when he's supposed to be my friend?"

"Am I really just running away, leaving people to suffer? I am aren't I? I'm a coward," she said the word with disgust that was aimed at herself. She wasn't shocked by how much disgust was in it. She was supposed to be strong, in control but instead she was breaking down. She didn't want to be just another princess that had to be rescued.

A fresh beam of light shone down on her as she awakened to how scared she really was, pretending that nothing was wrong and she was finally free but she hadn't set her heart free yet and she never could, not whilst she was burdened by the guilt of not helping the people who needed her. She was still the princess of the land she was in and she was letting them suffer, just like her father.

She stood up with newfound resolution. "I'm not going to be the same as that man. I'm going to stop running away from my problems. I'll enjoy my freedom just a little while longer though but I'll hand myself in to TK once we've seen the oracle. I'm going to face my fears." She wiped her tears away. They were not needed anymore.

She looked down at the red head, silently thanking her appearance because without it she would never have had the strength to accept the truth about what she was doing. "No more running away," she whispered, scaling down the side of the tree.

But even as she spoke the words, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was a lie.

-

Mimi looked down at the small sliver ring on her ring finger, hot tears filling her eyes only to be shaken away immediately. "No, I won't cry. I won't cry," she said, repeating the mantra that she had used for precisely a year now. She looked back at the gravestone she had placed a bouquet of flowers by.

"I still miss you but the pain gets less everyday now. Sometimes I wake up at night and wonder where you are before I remember what happened and I'm overcome with guilt and anger. I can remember that night so clearly. We were sitting by the fire and I was resting my legs while you stroked my belly. We were so happy. Our family was almost complete, just a few more days and you would have been a father."

She stopped to wipe away the tears that were building up in her eyes as she settled down on the grass in front of the grave and began arranging the flowers that she had brought with her. "You would have made a great dad," she said, a sad smile forming on her lips. "You always spoke so gently to our unborn child. I could tell he liked you, he never moved that much for anybody else.

"Then – then there was a knock at the door. I knew something was wrong when the knocks became rough and angry. I begged you not to get the door but you just turned to me and said 'Come on honey, it's probably Mr Kyoto needing shelter from this rain after being kicked out of his house for drinking again. It won't take long.'

"But it wasn't Mr Kyoto. It was _him_. He charged into our house with his thugs, declaring that it was his house now. You tried to stand up against them, thinking they would just leave. If only you knew then what type of people they were. You had no idea what he was really like

"I can't remember what happened next, or maybe I don't want to, all I remember is the blood – your blood. I'll never be able to get that sight out of my head. I still see it in my nightmares, along with what happened next. You wouldn't know what happened or maybe you're still turning in your grave with anger at how those men beat me until I miscarried."

Tears pattered on the flowers, a single one rolling down a rose petal as if it were crying too. "Our beautiful ba–baby boy, g–g–gone." More tears rolled off the rose as Mimi's voice was choked with her sobs, her eyes looking at the second bouquet of flowers placed on the grave next to her late husband's.

"And I was alone, so, so alone, even with everybody around me. I had no family, no relatives to take me in so I betrayed you in the worst way possible. I went to work for _him._ I hated myself so much but it was the only work I could get. I didn't compromise myself in any way, just so you know. Not like some of the others that worked for him. I would have rather died. I alone dirtied my hands in helping him with his illegal businesses.

"I don't think I've ever been so alone and scared in my life. He's dead now though. Shin Kido," she shivered after saying her husband's murder's name for the first time, "is dead and I think that's given me the closure I need to move on. I'll never forget you but I can't keep clinging to something that will never comeback. I will always love you, nothing will ever change that but I can't be lonely forever."

With those final words to the love of her life she removed her wedding ring and placed it next to the flowers. "Goodbye."

She left the graveyard, feeling glad that she could finally move on in life. She took one last look back at the grave, reading the words that she had seen many times before with great sadness.

_Here Lies Joe Kido,_

_Loving husband._

_We shall miss you greatly._

"I never knew two brothers could be so different until that night."

"Will you be alright?" asked Palmon, knowing that her partner needed someone close to her at the moment.

"Yeh. It's just so hard to say goodbye."

Palmon wrapped her vine like fingers around Mimi's hand. "You're never alone though. Never."

-

Sora looked across at Biyomon, still sleeping peacefully, and then across to Kari as she set about dousing the campfire. "How long have you and TK been travelling together?" she asked out of curiosity, unsure of how to make conversation with her new travel companion.

Kari was an oddity. She had seen the girl change moods around TK several times already. She acted carefree and open before realising what she was doing and drawing back into herself, acting more restrained. It was like she was unsure how to behave around him.

"Should be about two weeks now. Could be more, you loose track of time when you're travelling. So how far have you come to get this message to the King?"

"I've come from the Sanyo Mountains in the south, right on the coast. I made my way through four entire kingdoms until I got here. It was worst getting into Amara. They have so many guards patrolling the borders. They don't want anyone getting in or out without their knowledge. I almost got caught more than once. I don't know what they'd do if they acquired the letter that I'm carrying from my father."

"Can I ask something?" Kari said, looking into the elf's hazel eyes. Sora nodded. "Why did you take on such a dangerous mission? Don't you get scared?"

It wasn't any of her business but she needed to know. Deep down, she knew she was afraid of facing everybody. She was terrified of what her future had in store for her. She didn't know what to do, how to handle that fear. She needed to know she wasn't alone.

Sora nodded sadly. "All the time but – but this is the only way I can get my father to acknowledge me. He's always talking about how my brothers are so brave and so strong and I'm there, surrounded by everyone but forgotten. I want him to see me. He never lets me do anything. I want him to be proud of me.

"Then this war came about and my brothers were sent off to command different parts of the army, whilst he made to it that I remained in the palace. It hurts to think that he doesn't trust me, that I'm so weak that I'm not even the slightest bit of use. He wouldn't even give be a chance to prove myself, to prove that I was worthy too. I needed to show him that I was there.

"A week into the war and we'd already learnt plans of an attack on our kingdom and there was nobody to take the message. I knew that it was my chance to prove myself so I stood before him and told him that I would take the message, that I wouldn't fail him.

"At first he refused, saying it was too dangerous and too important for me to do it. But I made sure that he knew there was nobody else that could be expendable with the war raging that could be trusted with such an important task. He knew that I was a skilled rider and get the message there on time so I wore him down and here I am, out to prove myself to my own father."

Kari looked sadly at her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm doing what I can and that's enough to keep me going. If my father doesn't see me then that's his loss. It hurts me but it's his loss. Even if he can't see me, I will fight for the Zikaran."

"You shouldn't burden yourself too much because you might find that you aren't able to cope with the pressure."

"Is that what happened to you?" Sora asked gently, genuinely intrigued. "You took on too much and you couldn't cope?"

Kari looked at her, unsure of what to reveal, before she shook her head. "No. For me it was the pressure that people put on me. They expect me to help everyone but I can't. I'm not special like that."

"I think you are."

"So do they."

"They meaning?"

"Everyone. But I know what I have to do now and I'm okay with that because I know it's the right thing to do, even if it means that I loose something that I've worked so hard for because I can't keep running and never look back because I'll never learn that way and I'll never be able to face my fears."

Sora smiled admirably at Kari. "That's a very wise thing to say and brave."

Kari blushed at the compliment. "Thank you," she said gratefully, getting to her feet, "But I can't be called brave yet. I still have to face those fears."

-

Ken felt the horse's hooves pound the floor with every step, the thunderous noise echoing through the great crevasse to the right of the as they galloped through the dangerously thin mountain path, small rocks tumbling down in the pit of black.

He tapped his bag to make sure that he still had 'it' safely tucked inside for what must have been the tenth time that minute.

He had been sent to fetch it by King Ashnark, who claimed that they needed for the prophecy to come true, although he wasn't sure how it fit in but he was sure to find out in the end.

The prophecy…how was a girl that had quite honestly disappeared off the face of the planet going to help them. If she had been kidnapped, which he considered highly unlikely then she might not even still be alive to lead their army and if she hadn't then she obviously didn't care about people because she hadn't shown her face. How was a most likely spoiled princess going to lead an army against her own kingdom? Like that was ever going to happen.

And who would want to follow a coward like her? She was just a girl.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Wormmon.

"Just Princess Hikari. She obviously doesn't care about this war and the people in it so why are we going to such great lengths to help fulfil a prophecy when she probably won't even want to fight? She's probably a stuck up royal like all the rest."

"She probably isn't that bad."

"She's letting everyone suffer while she hides out somewhere where no one can find her. God knows that TK has been sent on a wild goose chase. It's been a month now and things aren't looking up. All teenage girls in the Amarian kingdom are being summoned to the castle just so they can make sure princess Hikari's not hiding there. Then they're going to keep those girls locked up until the princess is found. How can someone let that happen when they could just stop it by handing themselves in?"

Wormmon looked up at Ken. His partner was usually much kinder but he was just anxious since his sister was one of those girls getting taken in and he was out on a mission concerning the very princess who's, in his eyes, fault it was instead of being there to protect her.

"She'll be alright Ken. Don't worry. She'll be alright."

"How can she be?" he shouted angrily. "I left her behind, just like Sam left both of us behind."

"It wasn't Sam's fault."

Ken shook his head, disbelievingly. Sam was supposed to look after both he and his sister but he wouldn't listen to them as they pleaded him not to anger the soldier. Sam should have just given him the money. Ken would always blame him for getting himself killed and leaving them defenceless.

"It doesn't matter whether it was his fault or not. I still did exactly what he did and left my sister behind."

"To make sure she was safe."

"Some job I did of that. Now she has no one left to protect her. You've seen how the Amarian soldiers have been acting recently. They're restless."

"And your sister knows how to look after herself."

Ken nodded stiffly and said no more. The sooner he delivered the package to king Ashnark then the sooner he could return to his sister's side.

-

The brunette came across where it looked like a small fight had taken place a few days before. He leant across one of the bodies and picked up a small strand of white hair.

"_The girl with the white cat_, huh? Looks like I'm getting closer."

* * *

Thanks for all the reviews i've had so far. Next chapter they meet the Oracle. I've decided to split it into two because of how long it is. So where it was one chapter before it is now two.

I'm so happy. I'm getting a new carpet for my bedroom and since it doesn't match the walls the whole thing is being redone.

REVIEW and get a preview of chapter 16 - To Hurt.


	16. To Hurt

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

* * *

**Chapter 16 – To Hurt**

"Are you OK?" asked TK with concern, looking at Kari's face that was filled with conflicting emotions that he was unable to distinguish.

She looked up at him and looked at him like he was a ghost. "Yes, I'm fine. You – you go speak to the oracle now and…and I'm sorry."

"What for?"

Her ruby eyes widened slightly and froze suddenly before her eyes hardened like ice. "Just go," she said coldly, walking past TK and giving him the cold shoulder as Gatomon came to join her.

"Kari?"

Kari shook her head, making it known to Gatomon that she didn't question her at the moment.

TK looked at his friend sadly, unsure of what to do. She had been fine before entering the oracle's cave. What had she said to her? What could be so terrible to evoke such a reaction?

Kari walked up to Sora, shooting a look at Patamon to tell him he wasn't to listen. Patamon took the hint and flew a little further off, hoping that Kari just needed another female to talk to about whatever was bothering her.

"I can't do it. I'm sorry. I just can't do it. This prophecy is _wrong_. It's sick. I'm not having any part in it. How could anybody ask me to do such a thing? Tell TK – tell TK that Princess Hikari Kamiya will never, and I mean _never_, take part in that prophecy." Tears began rolling down Kari's distressed face.

"Why can't you tell him?" asked Sora, already knowing the answer.

"Because I'm leaving. I'm going disappear. And this time – it's going to stay that way." With that, she ran.

Biyomon called out to her.

She ran.

Patamon called out to her.

She kept running.

Sora called out to her.

She just kept running.

-

Two days earlier

-

Gatomon's cerulean eyes looked at Kari with concern. "Are you sure that this is what you want to do?"

Kari gave a half nod her eyes were determined but there was still a touch of uncertainty.

"It's not that I want to it's that I know that it's the right thing to do and I know that if I don't do this then the guilt of not doing it is going to eat away inside me for the rest of my life.

"You heard what Sora told us earlier about what's going on in the heart of Amara. They're rounding up all the teenage girls just to find me and then there's the fact that they're planning to segregate humans and non-humans like we're completely different classes. It can't go on and if there's a chance that I can stop it then I should."

"You're the bravest person I've ever met Kari," her partner told her sincerely.

"No I'm not. I've been running from my problems. I see that now. But I can't keep running forever." Kari looked down sadly, a sombre look on her face and Gatomon felt a pang in her heart.

"Says the Runaway Princess," she teased, using the name Kari had received in her younger years to lighten the mood. Kari hit her best friend playfully on her arm, before falling momentarily silent.

"You know that if you don't want to do this then I wont," Kari said seriously, "You'll always come first to me."

Gatomon looked up at Kari, unsure of what to say. She didn't want Kari to do this just because she felt she had to. She'd been through the worst. Her parent had ruined her childhood and she was forced to grow up quicker than she should have been.

She deserved so much more than the guilt that people seemed to piling up onto her. But at the same time she couldn't tell Kari to forget about it. She cared too much about other people to be able to do that.

"I want you to do whatever you need to be happy."

Kari smiled and pulled Gatomon close to her. "Thank you Gatomon. I know I can truly rely on you. You're the only person in this world that I can say that to. You stick by me no matter what I choose or how tough things get. You're a true friend."

She smiled as Gatomon rested her head on her lap. The cat knew when it was best to speak and when it was best to convey her feelings in small, meaningful actions.

They remained like that for a while, each enjoying each other's presence and the bond that they shared. A cool wind blew through the trees, gently rustling the leaves. Kari sighed gently and shifted her position, as she moved to get up.

"We should go back now. The others' will be getting worried by now since we left without telling anyone." Her partner nodded as Kari swung herself down from the low branch that she had been resting on, looking up at the canopy of the forest at the first rays of light. Part of her was wondering whether she could really do it – willingly hand herself in. she had been running so long that she was unsure that she would be able to stop. And what would happen when she finally did?

It was the uncertainty of the future that held her back most. Something big was coming. It was in the air. It was something that everybody could feel. Whichever side won the war there were going to be changes made and they weren't going to be small changes either.

The entire world was changing. _Her_ world was changing.

They had almost reached the oracle's mountain so she only had a short time left before she admitted the truth to TK. She sighed, her shoulders slumping forwards, as she remembered something that had taken part earlier that week between her and the blonde.

_Kari watched the dying embers rise into the sky, unaware o the presence behind her until TK spoke up._

"_You still up Kari?" he asked._

"_Yes. I can't sleep. That's all," she replied quietly, so not to wake up any of the others._

"_Something on your mind?" he asked, sitting down next to the person that he was glad he was now able to call his friend. It had been a week since they had met with Princess Sora and Biyomon and they had bonded quicker than before with her new honesty and openness but he found that there were still subjects that she was unwilling to talk about, especially her family. She always seemed to tense up and change the subject, and, although she never outright said it, he knew she didn't want him questioning her on the subject and he respected that but worried about her at the same time._

"_Not much," she replied, without looking up at him._

"_Do you want to talk about it," the blonde asked with sincere concern._

_She gave a small smile, before tilting her head back and looking at the stars. "Tonight's a good night to be with friends," she whispered._

_TK looked at her quizzically but said nothing. He didn't understand the part Elvin girl at times but he warmth still filled him as she admitted they were friends for the first time. She had finally cracked out of her shell._

_He looked at her for a moment, taking in her Elvin features that seemed to vanish in the presence of Sora. Her eyes were also looking up at something unseen in the sky with an odd fondness._

_Kari turned back to him and noted his confusion. She smiled, a truer smile than any he had seen on her yet. "It's also a good time to remember promises."_

_TK raised an eyebrow, clearly asking her what she was trying to say. She giggled slightly before turning back to the sky. "It's the summer solstice tonight. I always felt so alone on this night. There'd always be a huge festival back home but I was never allowed to go and the one time I did it wasn't much fun._

"_It was like I was an outsider to it all. Everyone was there, enjoying themselves but I couldn't join in. I had no friends to be with and enjoy myself with. Also I couldn't do anything that would damage the family name, so I just stood there, pretending to be the perfect daughter that I was expected to be."_

_TK turned to her; to see that she was still looking up at the stars but her eyes were now glazed over with tears that she did not allow to fall. "Kari…" he whispered sadly, trying to tell her that she didn't need to continue._

"_I was so alone, even Gatomon wasn't allowed to come with me. I've never felt so alone; especially since it was only a year before that I lost my best friend. The summer solstice the year before had to be my favourite ever. We lay under the stars and promised that we'd be best friends forever. We even watched the lunar rainbow together. I guess that it was only right that we did so. There's an ancient tradition that tells us that if you make a promise under the lunar rainbow then the close bond that you have will last forever."_

Kari didn't know why she was telling him this. With the information she was handing him then it should be quite obvious to him what her true identity was but she couldn't stop now. She had to confess her feelings, even if TK didn't know his part in her tale.

"But forever is a long time," she continued, not daring to look at the expression on TK's face or look him in the eyes, knowing that if she did then he'd be able to read the truths that were swimming around in them at that moment, "And time can change things, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. All I know is that time can change things.

"_When I met him again things were different. We were different. So different that we didn't even recognise each other to begin with," she whispered._

_TK looked up, after looking into the ever-dying embers of the fire. "I thought you said that you lost your friend?"_

"_There are many types of loss and some hurt more than others." She placed her hand on her heart. "He had to leave. We lived in different worlds. Isn't fate cruel? I had the best friend anyone could ever ask for and looking back, I think I liked him more than a friend. Maybe not love, but something close."_

_A small blush rose to her cheeks as she realised what she had admitted to him. She was glad in that moment that he wasn't very quick at putting certain things together She continued despite her embarrassment. "But our worlds were different. They were too different and I lost him. We weren't allowed to see each other anymore and I didn't know how to find him."_

_The tears in her eyes were threatening to fall but she held them in. "I-I didn't even get to say goodbye. He was just torn out of my life so abruptly."_

"_Why?" asked TK, his heart going out to his friend, understanding her situation completely._

_Kari shook her head. "It doesn't matter how. All that matters is that I could have prevented it; instead, I was the one to cause it. It was my fault that I lost my friend. And my fault that he lost everything. I guess after that I didn't really want to let anyone else in. I didn't want to make another friend because I felt like I didn't deserve one._

"_I blocked everyone out except for Gatomon and focussed on my training again like I had done all along. I thought that if I became strong then nobody else would ever have to be hurt because of me. I would be strong enough to stop those I cared about being hurt. Gatomon still caries the scars that mark some of my past decisions. She was punished because of things I did._

"_This war. It's changing things. I should have been helping all this time but instead I've been hiding in this forest. I guess that meeting you has changed my opinion on things. And also, seeing that friend of mine, happy and enjoying himself, made me realise that he wouldn't have blocked everyone out of my life. It also made me realise that he didn't need me as much as I needed him._

"_I was weak," she admitted. "In more ways than one. It wasn't that I was afraid, which I am, it's that I let those fears get the better of me. I saw that he didn't need me and realised that he didn't need me. It hurt, to think the only one I really cared about didn't need me. It knocked my confidence a lot. I began to doubt everything. After all, if your friend doesn't need you, then who does?_

"_I let those doubts control me." She looked up at the sky again. "I think I know what I need to do now. I'm not certain but that's a good thing. I was always certain that my way was the right way before. I never stopped to think about how my actions affected others."_

_She turned to TK, her eyes so open, honest, and unshielded for once that it shocked him a bit. She tilted her head to the side a bit as a warm smile lit up her face. "These past few weeks," she said quietly. "you've taught me more about being a good person than anyone else. The way people have treated you, it's wrong. Yet, you forgive them, even though they don't deserve it, because it's the right thing to do._

"_You've never spoken about anyone hatefully. You act in the best interests of other people. This mission you're on, if somebody found out then you would be killed but you do it anyway because you want to help people you don't even know._

"_I admire that and … I think I want that, to be like that, to be so selfless. I'm not sure that I can but I want to try. You're a good person TK and a good friend. Thank you for that."_

_TK didn't know what to say. What could he say? No words could possibly show her how he felt. Nobody had ever complimented him in such a way before, with such honesty in their voice that it was impossible to deny whatever they said. To have Kari say such a thing, when before she had said that she would have left him to die were it not for the fact he knew where The Oracle was, it was impossible to describe the feeling._

_So instead, TK wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to show his gratitude. What he couldn't put into words he put into the simple gesture. Kari stiffened a bit, before relaxing and laying her head on his shoulder, a small blush forming on her face._

_She wrapped her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. "Look up," she whispered._

_The lunar rainbow that he hadn't since that day with the princess crossed brightly over the stars. "Thank you," whispered TK, as they each became lost in their own thoughts and memories. After a while, Kari's gentle and rhythmic breathing told TK that she had fallen asleep._

_He closed his eyes and laid his head on hers. "What was it you were trying to tell me?" he asked, before falling asleep as well._

Kari blushed at the memory – or rather the memory of how they had awoken. It seemed that Patamon, Gatomon and Biyomon found great amusement in teasing them about how they had been found, asleep in each other's arms. For the rest of the day the silences between them became awkward and they would visibly blush and look away whenever their eyes met out embarrassment. After a while it got annoying but somewhere along the line they got over their embarrassment and acted like nothing had happened, except she couldn't deny that every time she saw him smile her heart would give a small flutter – small, but noticeable.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Gatomon.

"No-nothing," she stuttered.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"It's just you were blushing."

"I'm not blushing. It's just hot."

"You can tell me Kari. I won't laugh."

"I know you won't."

"Then tell me."

Kari was about to reply but at that moment they had walked into the clearing where they had made camp. Patamon was resting on TK's head as usual, his wings twitching every now and again as a fly landed on him. TK smiled at her as she made her reappearance. He hadn't been too worried about her, since she wandered off by herself a lot. But that didn't mean that there had been no anxiousness for Kari's well being. Upon awakening and finding her gone there had been a nagging feeling at the back of his mind telling him that he should go look for her as time drew on.

She looked at him questionably, causing him to realise he had been staring. His cheeks tinged pink and he looked away, but not before casting her a quick smile.

"Where's Sora?" she asked, setting herself down next to TK.

"She went to find somewhere to bathe."

Kari gave a small nod. "Guess I'll join her in a minute. What do you think Gatomon?"

"Sounds good," she said, sounding disinterested.

"They went that way," TK said pointing out the direction Sora and Biyomon had gone.

"So what have you been doing this morning?"

Patamon flew down off TK's head, a mischievous grin on his face. "He was talking with Princess Sora about y–" TK grabbed Patamon round the mouth and tackled him to the floor. Kari couldn't help raise an eyebrow. TK looked up sheepishly, his complexion was red with embarrassment. He stood up, keeping one hand over Patamon's mouth while using the other one to brush off the dust that he managed to cover himself in.

"Why don't you go join Princess Sora?" he said lightly, before adding in a darker undertone, "I need to talk to Patamon about some things."

Patamon gulped, struggling to pull himself away from TK. "Help me Gatomon," he begged.

"No."

"Why not?" he cried, as TK pulled him back down as he tried to fly away.

"This is much more fun."

"Gatomon!"

"I'm going now," she teased, giving him a wink. "Bye."

Kari smiled at the immaturity of her partner, despite how mature Gatomon acts there's always that mischievous streak. Kari slowly dragged herself to her feet. "Guess I'm off then."

TK nodded slightly as he watched them go and waited until they were out of hearing distance before turning to his partner, an almost sadistic look on his face. "I'm so going to kill you Patamon."

"Eep!"

-

A wide smile spread over Sora's face as she stepped out in front of a hot spring. It was the perfect thing to ease her aching muscles. "This looks good, doesn't it?"

"Are you kidding? It looks wonderful," agreed Biyomon, waiting for Sora to undress before jumping in the hot spring with her

They were silent a few minutes before they heard someone approaching. Sora immediately regretted leaving her only weapons with her clothes. "Who's there, you pervert?" she demanded as bravely as she could.

"Relax, it's just me."

Sora felt her whole body ease up at the familiar voice. "You sure know how to scare a girl don't you Kari?"

"Try my best," the brunette teased as she and Gatomon joined them. Sora couldn't help but notice sadly the large scar running down Kari's back. She turned away so not to stare but couldn't help but wonder sadly about it. Kari sighed at the warmth of the water. "I've never been in a hot spring before."

"You haven't?" asked Biyomon, her pink feathers flopping down over her eyes because of the water.

"No – but it's just like having a bath, although less private," she laughed.

"So…Kari," began Sora, her eyes twinkling.

"Why don't I like that look in your eye?"

Sora hit her playfully. "Don't be cheeky. Now, tell me. What do you think of TK?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Kari asked, trying to remain composed.

"You two seem pretty close, especially in the last few days."

"We're friends," Kari said, ducking her head under the water to hide her blush as she washed her hair.

"Just friends?" she asked with a knowing look.

"What else could we be?" Kari asked, trying to avoid the subject.

"So you have no feelings for him?" asked Sora.

"No."

"None?"

"None at all." Gatomon hid her laugh at the conversation, knowing that her partner did have feelings for the boy, whether or not she was willing to admit it or not.

"So," continued Sora, "You wouldn't mind if I had feelings for him as well."

"No – and what do you mean 'as well'?"

"Nothing. Anyway, so you would feel absolutely nothing if I confessed to him?"

"No – but you're not going to, are you?" she asked nervously, only to feel embarrassed when they all started laughing at her. She blushed in embarrassment. "Not that I care. Can we change the subject please?"

"OK then," replied Sora softly, "If you want to Kari – or should I say Princess Hikari." Kari's eyes shot wide open and she grabbed Sora's mouth and looked around.

Sora laughed warmly. "I'm guessing by your reaction that TK doesn't know."

"No," hissed Kari, "So can you keep it down."

"Sorry."

"So how'd you find out?" asked Gatomon.

"One princess always knows another and it's pretty obvious after that. You really should have picked a different name. It would have made it just a little bit harder. Why else would you be hiding out in a forest?"

Kari looked away guiltily. "We're not hiding."

"Then why haven't you told TK?" asked Biyomon.

"I guess I just wanted to enjoy my freedom a little longer. Once I've spoken to The Oracle I'm handing myself in to TK. If I can stop this war then I'm going to do it."

Sora smiled softly. "Promise me that you'll help my country. I know that you'll be strong enough to save us. I remember looking at you when you came to my rescues and I thought 'she's so brave. I didn't even call out for help and she still came to my aid and she didn't ask for anything in return. Someone who cares that much can surely save us. Some like that will be able to motivate the minds of others. She could be a hero."

"Sora," Kari said softly, turning red from embarrassment.

Sora took Kari's hands in her own. "I want you to promise me that you'll never give up. You won't runaway and you'll do your best to help us. I know that I'm asking a lot but I believe – no, I _know _– that you can do this. You're stronger than you think. Not just physically but in your heart. I heard rumours about how you were treated as I travelled through Amara and to get through that and keep fighting, you have to be so strong. I believe in you."

"I promise I'll do all I can to help you. I won't runaway."

"Even from your heart?" queried Biyomon.

"Even from my – hey! I told you I don't have those kind of feelings for TK."

"We never said you did," laughed Sora, "You're the one who's putting ideas in our heads."

"So are you going to runaway – or admit you like him?" asked Biyomon.

Kari turned to Gatomon for support but she was "busy" examining her claws. Kari sighed, before whispering quietly, while turning twenty shades of red, "I think I have feelings for that idiot."

Her companions squealed with delight. "I knew it," cheered the Elvin princess.

"She always loved him as a child," Gatomon said quietly but loud enough for the others to hear. "Those feelings never went away. Did they?"

"I didn't love him as a child. We were friends. That's all. F-R-I-E-N-D-S. Friends."

"You don't have to get embarrassed by it now," teased the birdlike digimon. "You've already admitted you like him."

"Shhh, what if they hear?" demanded Kari, turning red as a tomato.

"Nobody's going to hear us. Now spill – how much do you like him?"

"You never said if you have a special someone Sora," Kari asked lightly.

"Yeh. I do he's – HEY! No changing the subject," she said splashing Kari. "As punishment you have to tell us what it is you like about him."

"He's…I don't know. He's TK," she said turning pink. She was highly embarrassed by the line of conversation they were having. She had never talked about boys in such a manner before, even with Gatomon. In fact she had never even thought, let alone looked, at anyone in that way before, despite the fact that just over a month before she was about to be married. Even when she was younger and playing with TK – or Takumi, as she called him at the time –she had never thought in depth about the different feelings she had when around him. A small frown passed over the princess's face. "Do you think he'll hate me?"

Sora raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why would he hate you?"

"Because I've been lying to him. I haven't told him who I really am. He almost died back in fire that he was in and he was in it because I hadn't told him the truth. He was in it because he was searching for me."

"Kari, no matter what you think, I don't think that TK could ever hate you," Gatomon smiled.

"Sure he might be annoyed," added Sora, "but he'll understand your reasons. I can tell that he's like that. You've got good taste Kari."

Kari ducked under the water again. She could have sworn the water was evaporating from the heat on her face.

-

"Kari get down from that tree!" shouted TK.

"Why? You're not worried about me are you?" she pouted cutely; at least she hoped she did.

"Of course I am. What if you fall and hurt yourself," he called up into the braches, unable to see Kari because of the thickness of the foliage.

"Boo!" shouted Kari immaturely, suddenly hanging upside down from a branch in front of TK's face, "I got you."

TK froze in surprise, his eyes wide, as Kari burst into fits of laughter. It took a while for them to both come to their senses and realise how close they were. His heart beat faster as he traced the outline of her lips with his eyes. The smell, _her_ smell, of cherry blossoms was almost overpowering as he looked into the depths of her ruby eyes. Unconsciously he raised his hand to her cheek, her soft skin meeting his own.

They were both blushing crimson at this point, although he was unsure of whether it was just the blood running to her head from being upside down so long.

"TK! KARI!" called Patamon excitedly, as he flew back towards them.

Kari gave a small scream of surprise and tumbled out of the tree, landing awkwardly on TK.

"What are you to doing?" asked Patamon, an evil glint in his eyes.

Kari scrambled off of TK and walked some distance away from TK, brushing her clothes down as she said to her humiliation, "I fell out a tree," before walking off to join the others. 'Was he about to kiss me?'

"What did you want?" TK asked Patamon as if nothing happened.

"We're at the foot of the mountain," he grinned. TK smiled with Patamon as he rushed to join the others.

They were almost there now – just a day's journey from the Oracle. He just didn't realise how painfully slow those 24 hours would be. For a whole day they had to walk up a rocky mountain in near silence. The day's heat was so overpowering, after walking in the cool shade of the forest for weeks, that nobody had the energy to speak.

As the sun set, they had made camp on the side of the mountain, which was horribly uncomfortable after the soft ground in the forest. The next day they had woken up with more aches than usual and lack of sleep had made Kari horribly irritable, snapping at every small annoyance to the point that everyone but Gatomon were afraid to breath too loudly for fear that she'd throttle them.

Although, to Patamon, it did have it's upside. Since it was colder at nights on the mountain he couldn't help but feel happy as Gatomon snuggled up to him, even if she had been subconsciously seeking warmth in her sleep.

So they were all relieved when they finally reached The Oracle's cave, cut into the grey mountain rock and tunnelling deep into the mountain. Kari, who was feeling better by this point, was the first to reach the cave. She frowned, finding an inscription on the wall. It was elfin but it wasn't a dialect that she had learnt back at the palace. What she did know was that it was old, probably a dead language.

"Guys, what do you make of this?" she asked the rest as they arrived. "I can't read it."

TK traced he inscription with his hand, as if to make sure that he was correct in what it said, concern growing in his face with every word he read.

"What does it say?" asked Patamon curiously.

TK shook his head. "It's an enchantment, as well as a warning. It basically means that if we enter The Oracle's cave then we have to do so without our partners. It's a test if you like, to see if you are strong enough – not that we have to fight anything. It's just to prove we aren't relying on and/or taking advantage of our digimon. It's also to prove our trustworthiness. A digimon is able to kill a human but not the other way around after all. As long as the human partner is alive then so is the digimon, which would make her vulnerable to attacks by digimon, since she wouldn't be able to defend herself."

They nodded in understanding. "So," asked Sora, "What would happen if a digimon were to enter?"

TK grimaced. "It'll sever the connection between human and digimon." A chill passed over all of them.

"That's horrible," exclaimed Biyomon at last.

"I know," he said darkly, staring at the entrance of the cave. How many people had wandered in unknowing of the consequence that would befall them?

"So who's first?" asked Sora.

"I'll go," answered Kari, knowing that she'd want to get her answer first, before TK found out her identity.

"You sure?" asked TK.

"Yeh. I'll be fine."

"Okay, just come back. I've got a bad feeling about this."

Kari smiled. "What could happen?" she asked, giving him one last wink.

-

As Kari entered the cave she couldn't help but feel alone. It was the first time since she had been in the palace that she had been properly separated but the warning had been clear and there was no way that she was going to put Gatomon in danger by taking her with her into the oracle's cave.

Echoes of water falling from the stalactites echoed in her ears. As she got further into the cave the light began to fade and she was about to draw her sword, knowing that she could use its glow to find the way, when she rounded a corner and saw that there was some type of crystal in the wall that was luminescent. She ran her hand along one of the crystals and shivered at the coldness.

The wind that seemed gentle when she entered the cave howled mercilessly down the cave. She couldn't help but shiver at the thought that it sounded like she was inside a wild animal

She slowly walked though the tunnel, ignoring the odd shaped shadows farther ahead. Kari turned round another corner and found that she was facing a fork in the cave. In the centre was a stone statue of Aquilamon. Words had been inscribed into the marble block that the statue was stood on. She drew her sword, the familiar ruby glow was almost comforting in the lonely place, as she knelt down and held it to the inscription so that she could read it in the meagre light of the tunnel.

_Before you there are two paths,_

_One will lead you to me,_

_But the other won't._

_Choose wisely for you have one chance,_

_One chance only._

_Pick right and I shall answer one question,_

_But be warned,_

_Pick wrong and you be lost,_

_Never to feel the wind in your hair,_

_Or feel the sun on your skin._

Kari felt her stomach churn at the thought of being stuck in the tunnel forever, separated from Gatomon and her friends. They both had auras but she was barely able to pick up the second one. She knew if she had no magic in her body at all she would only be able to sense the second tunnel's aura. That meant it had to be strong. Was that the way to the Oracle?

She took a step towards the second tunnel but stopped. Her sword pulsed in gentle warning. She smiled. An Elvin made sword like her own was a good item to carry. It was able to detect dangerous magic among other things. Obviously she was about to choose the wrong path.

But what if it was only warning her of the Oracle's magic? If she changed paths then she might pick the wrong one. Once she made that decision she'd never be able to turn back – but she had to try.

Kari sighed. She trusted her sword and, if it was the wrong tunnel, then at least she had tried and not run off. She walked determinedly into the first tunnel, knowing that her fate was sealed – good or bad, there was no turning back.

She shivered at the coldness of the tunnel, after she had been walking for a while. Why was it taking so long? She felt more fear with each step she took into the endless tunnel. She had almost given up hope that she had chosen the right one, when she came to a sharp turn and found himself standing before a large stone door. Two statues stood at either side of Halsemon, their stone eyes glowing red as she walked up to them.

"I wish to see the oracle," she told the statue.

"We know. She has been expecting you," it said in a gravely voice.

"I should have known that she would have expected me," Kari said, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "Will she see me?"

"The oracle sees all that make it through the tunnel."

"Thank you," she said and gave the statue a small bow out of respect. There was no doubt that the oracle would be watching her through the red eyes.

Kari winced as the noise of the stone door scraped across the floor as the hinges turned. The princess walked into the cave behind with interest. The whole of it was lit up by one large fragment of the special crystal, covering the whole of the ceiling. To her surprise there were plants growing everywhere around the outside of the chamber. 'I guess the crystals provide enough light for them to survive,'she mused.

Her eyes landed on the figure in the centre of the room. The oracle. She sat in a meditative position, wearing a dress made of reddish brown feathers that Kari recognised as a digimon's feather. She had two necklaces made from bone and seemed unaware of her entrance.

As she walked over to The Oracle closely, she could make out the colour of her soft lavender colour. It shrouded her like a cloak, just resting on the floor as she sat. A Hawkmon stood by her shoulder and Kari couldn't help but think that they made a good match.

She stopped and bowed respectfully to them. "I wish to ask you something Oracle."

"Go on," she encouraged, her voice echoing repeatedly around them, as The Oracle looked up at Kari with her cloudy eyes.

"I would like to hear the prophecy about Princess Hikari, about me."

The Oracle gave a smile. "I knew you'd be coming to ask me about that. Unfortunately your witch blood clouded my reading a little and I knew not when you would come. The prophecy was a little different than others. You cannot hear it…but I can show it to you. You may not like it though and I can not take back what has been done."

"Show me."

The Oracle nodded and wrapped her hands around her largest necklace, closing her eyes and chanting an incantation, before she pulled down abruptly on the necklace breaking it.

There was a bright flash and Kari fell to the floor.

* * *

TK Kari fluff there. Next time it all changes, as you would have guessed from the start. You'll find out what's so terrible about the prophecy. Everyone keeps asking where Yolei is, where there you go. She's The Oracle, although you've aalready met her.

Why is Kari running away when she finally decided not to? You'll just have to find out in the next chapter.

REVIEW and get a **preview** of Chapter17 - To Prophesise.


	17. To Prophesise

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

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Chapter 17 – To Prophesise

_"Our kingdom is at a critical point of negotiations with the kingdom of Imprecatios." Running through a hall. "You are to be married to King Mortius's son as soon as you are of marrying age." Being hit across the face. "The carvings in the wood are exquisite." The sound of drums. "… as soon as I hear you're free I'll come find you." Fleeing a tower. "Do you recognise the writing." The book in the library. "Then maybe you should stand a little nearer before deciding to play the hero." Green leaves of a forest._

_"You forgot your knife." A bug on a dagger. "Will we be together always?" Pinkie promise by a pond. "I'm a thief." A ruby sword. "I should never have left her." A man in a temple. "They are a pretty common delicacy and travellers do use them to keep warm in the winter." A fiery burn. "Who knows of the location of princess Hikari?" A white cat._

_"Gatomon, go stop her." A panicked crowd. "He's in the back room." The crackle of fire. "You're hurt because of me." Blood on paws. "You've become much of a nuisance, Princess Hikari." A seal on the wrist. "I will not be able to help you next time." A protector. "What name are we going by today hmm?" A secret. "I cannot allow you to live." Blood on a sword._

_"You could have got us killed." Anger. "I have a mission for you all." An Elvin king. "I trust you." Friends. "I'm to find Princess Hikari and escort her to him." A betrayal. "So will you kill me in a temple?" An orb of energy. "They shouldn't ask such things of you." Bittersweet fruit. "To protect the princess." Death of a sorcerer. "If it's witches then I'll give you my sword." Laughter._

_"It's about time she learnt that she's allowed to be happy." Hiding in trees. "Tell me one good reason why I should, spy." An elf princess from the south. "Did you get it?" A bug-like digimon. "No, I won't cry. I won't cry." Flowers by a grave. "I still have to face those fears." Two princesses. "I left her behind, just like Sam left both of us behind." Grief._

_"I think I want that, to be like that, to be so selfless. I'm not sure that I can but I want to try." Warmth from a chest. "We're not hiding." Lies on a tongue. "What are you to doing?" An almost kiss. "I wish to ask you something Oracle." A flash of light._

_"Tell me who you are and why you're here." A blue glow. "We're bound to meet up sooner or later because of this war." Separation. "Put me down. Right now!" A kidnapping. "I don't want our sisters to worry." A family. "She became The Oracle at that moment." A curse._

_"If anything happens I need you to protect them." Soldiers by the lake. "Why do I have to leave her again? I promised her…" A fork in the road. "You need me alive." A blade in the throat. "Too sl…slow." Crimson blood. "If you fall asleep now you'll die." A desperate voice. "I've never had to work with a wound of that magnitude before." A dark haired girl._

_"I have a job for you. It's a very special job." A queen and an orphan. "We both know I'm not Hikari Kamiya anymore." A new identity. "I can help you. I can help you escape; only King Ashnark would like something in return. There will be a war and you must help his allies in the south." Accepting an offer. "I can not let innocent people suffer." Grim determination._

-

_Kari smiled at TK as he took her hand, as they walked into a city in the mountains. It was hidden well and well protected from invaders however the princess noted that if anyone managed to break the defences then they would be helpless._

"_Come on Princess Kari," he said, dragging her past the city gate. Patamon and Gatomon stayed close to them talking in low words._

_Kari looked nervously at all the Elves in the city who were turning to look at her as they walked by. She felt a reassuring squeeze on her hand and smiled gratefully at TK, before looking away, schooling her expression into the mask she wore when they first met but still leaning closer to him as they walked towards the palace._

"_Have you had any news from Sora?" asked Kari as a red head walked past, reminding her of her friend._

"_She's on her way back to her kingdom with some of King Ashnark's best men. Last thing I heard was that she crossed the border of Amara. She's almost out of the danger now."_

_Kari sighed, not realising how worried she had been. "That's good to know. I only hope she makes it in time. There's been word of movement of the Amarian troops. They will be arriving here soon. Imprecatios has fallen and so has Anadaras. They are sending their own men to both the Elvin nations." They stopped at the palace gate, waiting for them to be opened._

"_Names," said a lightly armoured Elf at the gate, who was obviously one of the guards._

"_Takeru Takashi," TK replied formally, "And my companion Princess Hikari Kamiya."_

_The Elf nodded, his blonde hair shifting slightly to reveal the tips of his ears. He didn't look surprised at her name. Ashnark had been expecting her for a long time now. "Open the gates," he called out to someone who was awaiting his order._

_As they reached the doors of the palace, Kari suddenly dug her heals into the floor and ground to a stop. Her face paled as memories of her childhood resurfaced. TK pulled her close and murmured encouragement in her ear._

"_Princess Kamiya?" asked an elf standing by the door. His white blonde hair braised so tightly from the bottom of his neck that it was no fatter than a finger, his elfin ears sticking out prominently._

"_Yes, it's me. And please don't call me Kamiya," Kari requested politely, "I'm not like my parents."_

"_King Ashnark has requested your presence." Kari nodded and walked forward with her friends but the elf shook his head. "Sorry Princess Hikari but he asked for a private audience. Your friends can not go with you."_

"_Oh," she replied, unsurprised. She had suspected that order. After growing up in the Amarian palace she knew when and when not to expect private audiences. For talks about something as crucial as theirs would be, negotiations were usually done where a council would not bother them._

"_It's alright. We'll meet you_ _up later," Gatomon said as cheerfully as possible for her partner but there was darkness in her eyes that told her she understood._

_Kari nodded shortly, straightening up so she looked every bit the part of a princess. This was not only to save so many lives but for the good of her country. She finally understood what her mother had meant what seemed like so long ago when she told her it was an honour for a princess to marry for a kingdom._

_It her duty to make the sacrifices that others couldn't. The authority that she held came with responsibilities. She may have hated her father more than anything else in the world, but it was not Amara that she hated. Even if she had left, she had a duty to fulfil for her people._

_Amara was riddled with corruption that nobody was willing to fight and the king was greedy. The only way for Amara to become the prosperous and peaceful place – the country she had grown up hearing great tales of – it had to be rebuilt from scratch. For the good of her people, they had to loose the war._

_She walked nervously down the hall with the man. She didn't like the idea_ _of being alone in the foreign palace – or any palace for that matter. "Do you – do you know what King Ashnark wishes to speak to me about?" she asked._

"_No Princess. You can ask him yourself," he said indicating to a door, allowing her to pass through. On the other side of the door she found herself in a meeting room, with a large table that would fit all the Kingdom's officials for their annual meeting. The only other figure in the room was an elf. She knew immediately that he was the king from the crown on his head, which only made his pointed ears more prominent as it pushed down his white hair._

_He looked young, no older than his mid twenties but Kari knew that looks could be deceiving when it came to elves, as they did not age like humans. He was probably well over two hundred years old. "You wished to speak to me your majesty," she said, nodding her head in respect._

_He stood up, as smile reaching his chestnut eyes, as he walked over to Kari, pulling out a seat for her to sit down. "Yes, you must be Princess Hikari. They didn't lie when they said you were beautiful." She felt the heat rise to her cheeks at the complement._

"_I heard the prophecy. I know what must be done."_

"_Are you willing?"_

_Kari looked over the room, examining a portrait on the wall rather than meeting the old king's eyes. "Sacrifices have to be made, even ones we do not wish to be made. It is my duty to do what I can to prevent further loss of life. I must put the needs of my kingdom first. The needs of many above the needs of one," her voice was hollow as she said that but still firm._

"_However, if I am to do this, there are a few things you must agree on." She turned to him her eyes revealing how much she hated him for making her make this decision, for making sure that everything led up to that very moment. "Once it is done, nobody will try to overthrow Amara. I shall take my place as queen and undo all the mess that my father has caused._

"_You shall openly state your support of me. I will need time to rebuild Amara into what it once was. If I am to do that, trading agreements made that benefit my kingdom and not just the nobles shall be kept. However, due to the mistakes of King Susumu I be assured you will do all you can to keep them going?"_

"_You have my word."_

"_And will you help rebuild Amara?"_

"_We will need to focus our attentions on our own cities. Your father is set to attack in just a few hours."_

"_What I must sacrifice is far greater than what you must. You will help rebuild Amara."_

_The girl she had been ever since she left the palace fell away, leaving behind the strong woman who had been taught how to manage a kingdom. The look she gave King Ashnark that she wasn't backing down._

"_We will help rebuild your most prominent businesses, after that I need to focus on my own country."_

_Kari nodded in agreement._

"_Do you have The Key?"_

_Kari nodded pulling at the chain around her neck to lift her pendant into his view. It was a small key made from white gold, handed down from mother to daughter as long as her family could remember, and on the front a jewel had been set into it. A ruby, that seemed to be filled with an ever-changing mist__._

"_You are certain it is it?"_

"_You saw the_ _prophecy that was made. You saw it around my neck. It is the key." She paused. "You have collected the five pieces?"_

_"The last arrived just a few hours before you did."_

_She nodded stiffly. She had hoped they would not be there in time. "Just so you know, I want it on the record that I was against this. The Icerenia may grant power but the method to do so is barbaric."_

_"You're still the one making the sacrifice," replied the king._

_"You still set it up. You made it so that I would_ _have no choice but this."_

"_There is always a choice Hikari."_

"_Only one that costs countless lives. If my heart has to be sacrificed to save them, then it is what I must to."_

_She turned to leave, pausing as the Elvin King spoke. "If there had been any other way …"_

"… _We are both tools to the future," she said quietly, "We have both made our decisions. It is our job to make the decision that will benefit the majority. This is where it had led. Tonight shall be spoken of for a long time. Many will praise us for our actions, but others will hate us for this, including ourselves. We must accept the consequences."_

_He did not answer. She did not expect him to. She strode out the room without a glance back._

_-_

_"Shouldn't we wait for Patamon and Gatomon?" asked TK, as the princess pulled him through the halls of the palace. They could hear explosions from behind them and rocks crumbled down the ceiling._

_"There's no time. Sunset is in just a few minutes."_

_Her breath was heavy, her eyes panicked as they landed on a crumbled wall, blocking their path. She grabbed TK's wrist tighter and pulled him back, heading in the way that they had just come from._

_"Halt!"_

_Two men in classic King's own uniform appeared before them, blocking their path. Through the window the sun had almost set. Kari flicked both wrists, daggers appearing in each side as she took up a fighting form, TK raising the glowing ruby sword beside her._

_She lunged, slashing at the Amarian soldiers, as TK began to trade blows with the other. She locked the man's sword in place with the two knifes just before it reached her face. She dropped her weight to the side, swinging her leg under the man, sending him flying to the floor, his sword clattering on the ground._

_The knife flew from her hand, lodging itself in the soldier's neck and killing him within seconds. She swept down and picked up the knife as TK appeared beside her, blood smudging both of them,_

_"We have to keep moving. This way."_

_They passed through several more corridors, descending the stairs into the dungeons and into a dark room; five figures lurked in the darkness, just out of sight. In the dim light she could make out the circular grooves on the floor._

"_It's almost sunset," she whispered. She looked up at TK, ruby eyes shining. "TK …" her voice broke slightly and he pulled her close._

"_It's okay. Everything is going to be fine."_

_She fought the lump in her throat and looked up at him. _"_I love you TK," she whispered, "More than anything."_

"_I love you too."_

"_You are my heart," she whispered, pushing the blade in her hand through his back and into his heart. Tears poured down her face as he looked up at her, his unusually bright eyes dulling by the second and filled with pain._

_He grunted in pain as she pulled the knife out, the metallic smell of blood lingering in the air. Candles suddenly lit up around them, revealing the ancient symbol the circular grooves were cut into. Tears began to run down her face as she let TK's body crumple to the floor, his blood filling the channels. She dropped to the floor, crying tears of regret._

_Around her the items the five, cloaked people were holding began to glow, the energy focussing on the key around her neck, before the world was engulfed in a white flash._

_-_

_Two identical young boys held each other's hands tightly, one of them also holding the hand of an aging man and the other of an aging woman as they walked along the hillside road to the capitol._

_Everywhere they looked there were people walking or riding to the main city, all with solemn expressions. The older twin by exactly seven minutes turned his brother, who was already the more antisocial one at the age of six._

"_What do you think is happening, Koji?" he whispered, looking at the people, many of whom were in dressed in clothes to dark for the summer months. His grandfather had dressed both he and Koji in dark clothes themselves._

"_I don't know, Kouichi," the boy replied, fiddling with the bandanna that kept slipping over his eyes. It was too big for him but he wouldn't take it off. It was the last gift he had from his parents before they died from a virus that affected their village. He and Kouichi had been sent to live with their grandparents as soon as word of a particularly violent illness got out._

_Kouichi frowned. He wanted to know what was going on. He didn't want to ask his grandfather because the last time he asked a question of his grandfather when people were acting strange he had been told about their parents' deaths._

"_Ask grandma."_

"_I'm not asking grandma," Koji whispered back. "You ask her."_

"_You're closer."_

"_Yeh," agreed the lion-like rookie digimon at the boy's feet._

"_He's the one who wants to know, so he should ask," commented the almost identical save for the wolf like features digimon at the other boy's feet._

"_Please," begged Kouichi._

"_No."_

"_Please."_

"_Boys, be quiet," their grandfather._

_The two boys stopped their little argument but Kouichi gazed at the younger but more confidant twin with pleading eyes._

"_Don't give in, Koji," cried the wolf-like digimon. "No, don't look him in the eye. Once you do that you always …"_

"_Fine," agreed Koji, much to his partner's despair. "Grandma," he said loud enough to get the older woman's attention. Her sleek black hair was streaked heavily with grey but it was easy to tell where the boy's got their hair. "Why is everyone walking this way?"_

_The old woman sighed. "Queen Hikari passed away. Many people wish to pay their respects."_

"_Wasn't she just an old lady?" asked Kouichi's lion-like partner asked._

"_Queen Hikari was not just an old lady," Leomon, their grandmother's partner, stated with an edge._

"_Queen Hikari was a hero," agreed Ogremon, their grandfather's partner, agreeing with the lion digimon for once in his life._

"_You don't understand how things used to be," their grandmother said gently, "Amara hadn't always been a safe place to live. There may have been a lot of wealth but it all went to the king's men whilst entire villages starved. Bandits used to run amuck and the king's soldiers would steal from the people they were meant to be protecting."_

"_Queen Hikari changed that," their grandfather said. Their mother had not inherited her father's darker skin toner, meaning that they were just as pale as their grandmother. "She did so much for us. She made this land peaceful, she helped get rid of corruption and prejudice. She lived and breathed for Amara."_

_Koji frowned. That didn't sound like the queen they had met when she passed through the town they used to live in. "She has creepy eyes though," commented Koji._

_He cried out in a little bit of pain and his grandmother flicked his head. "Don't insult the queen. Her eyes are empty because she had to kill the one she loved to protect us."_

_Kouichi was the one to find the flaw in the explanation this time. "Zoë's dad died but her mum married someone else afterwards. Why didn't Queen Hikari?"_

_His grandmother shook her head sadly. "She never allowed herself to fall in love again. TK was always the only one for her."_

_Koji and Kouichi looked at each other. They didn't get it. "Who will be Queen now?" asked Koji._

_Their grandfather shook his head. "We don't know. Queen Hikari never got married or had children so there are no heirs to the throne. It'll probably go to the closest suitable relation."_

_They fell silent as they reached the top of the hill. Along the edges of the capitol, there was a city of tents. Hikari had been their hero, admired and loved by all of Amara. They were not the only ones to arrive for the funeral._

-

Kari crumpled to the floor in the Oracle's cave, tears had already appeared in her eyes. She looked down at her hands guiltily, before looking back up at The Oracle.

"I'm sorry," whispered the Oracle, "But if I am asked a question I must answer it, even if the truth is too difficult."

Kari wiped the tears from her eyes angrily. "I won't let it happen. I won't betray TK like that."

"You will let the rest of the world suffer? Just so one man can live?" asked The Oracle.

"I'll find another way."

"There is no other way. What you have seen will come to pass."

"I won't let it," Kari said angrily. "I won't kill TK."

"If you stay around him then you will eventually."

"Then I'll stay away from him," Kari said turning to leave, "It doesn't matter what you say because I won't let that happen."

The Oracle's cloudy eyes flashed a clear amber colour for a second and a small smile passed over her emotionless face. "If you feel that way then try – try to change your destiny. Just take my advice. If you're ever back at the beginning of it all then wait. Wait and help will come for you."

Kari turned and gave a small bow to The Oracle. "Thank you, because of you I'll be able to save TK," she whispered loud enough for the Oracle to hear before leaving.

Hawkmon turned to his partner once he was sure that their visitor was gone. "Do you think she'll be the one?"

"I don't know. I had hopes before but they came to nothing but perhaps she'll be the one to set me free."

-

"Are you OK?" asked TK with concern, looking at Kari's face, trying to distinguish the emotions that she was battling to keep off her face. She felt her heart break looking at him. The guilt of what she had seen, what she had done and what she was about to do to prevent that welling up inside her. She clenched her fists shut slightly – angry that he was worrying so much about her when she was going to betray him, literally stab him in the back.

She lifted her eyes and examined all of the details of his face, the way his hair was slightly messed up from Patamon sitting on his head and his cerulean eyes that were looking at her in confusion and concern for her. She could hardly believe he was still there; the vision had been so real that she half expected the deed to have been done already. She realised she was expecting her to answer his question. "Yeh, I'm fine. You – you go speak to the oracle now and…and I'm sorry." 'I'm so sorry,' she thought, 'I can't stay near you. I don't want to hurt you. Please, don't ask questions.'

"What for?" She felt her heart constrict. She couldn't tell him the truth. He would protest against it. She knew he would.

"Just go," she said coldly, knowing it was the only way to get him to stop asking question. She knew that she would break if he asked her once more. She would tell him everything and he'd convince her to stay. She wouldn't be able to protest and then she would betray him. She had to go. She had to protect him. She walked icily past TK and giving him the cold shoulder as Gatomon came to join her.

"Kari?" The concern was evident in her partner's voice.

'Please don't. Please don't make this more painful than it is,' she silently pleaded and shook her head; making it known to Gatomon that she didn't question her at the moment. She was grateful when her digimon said nothing more.

Kari could feel TK's sad eyes on her but refused to turn and look at him. She felt her heart sink as he entered the oracle's cave, knowing that now there was no turning back. There was no one else who was able to convince her to do otherwise; even Gatomon would not be able to stop her running.

Kari walked up to Sora, giving a look at Patamon to tell him he wasn't to listen, while her heart begged him not to. Patamon took the hint and flew a little further off, hoping that Kari just needed another female to talk to about whatever was bothering her.

"I can't do it," whispered Kari. She looked up at Sora, releasing the icy barrier from her eyes and revealing the agony she was going through underneath her calm façade. "I'm sorry. I just can't do it. This prophecy is _wrong_. It's sick. I'm not having any part in it. How could anybody ask me to do such a thing? Tell TK," what should she tell TK? There was so much she wanted to tell him but she couldn't bring herself to say any of it. She just needed him to know that she would never hurt him, no matter what. "Tell TK that Princess Hikari Kamiya will never, and I mean never, take part in that prophecy." Tears began rolling down her distressed face.

"Why can't you tell him?" asked Sora. Kari could see that she already knew the answer – which she wouldn't fulfil the promises she had made. She just hoped one day that her friend would understand.

"Because I'm leaving. I'm going disappear. And this time," Kari paused, feeling her body fill with determination, "it's going to stay that way." With that, she ran.

Biyomon called out to her.

The dark circle appeared before her eyes. TK was standing in the centre, unaware of the danger as she approached.

She ran.

Patamon called out to her.

She could feel her arms wrap around TK, internally screaming as she brought a dagger up into the air behind him.

She kept running.

Sora called out to her.

The dagger plunged into TK's heart, his blood filling the small channels on the floor, completing the sacrifice for the ritual.

She just kept running.

'TK, please be safe. Please don't try to find me. Don't come after me. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to betray you. Please, just stay away from me.'

-

The sun was beginning to set when TK ran out of the cave. "Where's Kari?" he asked, already knowing that she was gone. He now knew why she had been so apologetic earlier. She was leaving. He hadn't figured it out in time. He only worked it out when the oracle had told him that one of his friends knew where the princess was.

"She's gone," replied Sora sadly.

TK hit the wall in frustration. "Damn it. She knew where the princess was all along. That's probably where she got that sword. I knew it was too expensive for someone like her to have."

"TK," Patamon said nervously.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to get angry. So I guess we go to the Baboa Mountains now Sora. So you can deliver that message of yours."

Sora nodded sadly, although she felt betrayed by Kari she knew that she must have a good reason behind her actions and knew that she couldn't reveal her secret to TK because of that. Maybe he was better off not knowing that Kari was the princess.

"Yes, let's go."

-

It was dark by the time she finally stopped running, by the time she was sure that they would be unable to catch back up with her. She doubled over panting, inhaling much needed oxygen after running for so long and so far. She had run over the mountain and into the forest on the other side. She was finally out of Amara. Once she would have felt so much joy, so much untameable joy at that thought but her heart was heavier than it had ever been.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt Gatomon arrive by her side. She knew her partner would be waiting for an explanation. Everything had been so sudden. They had done nothing but run since they left the Oracle's cave. She hadn't even stopped for water. She just wanted to get away. Her actions had been so rash and out of the blue that she hadn't even thought any of it through but now that rational thought was setting in she felt guilty. She could have been kinder about everything.

She wondered what TK thought of her. He must hate her. Really hate her. She left without even saying goodbye, without him even knowing. She hadn't even explained things properly, although she doubted that she would have been able to tell him the truth anyway. Sure she would have been able to reveal her true identity but she wasn't ready to admit that she would do something so terrible to her friend.

By now the Oracle or Sora would have revealed her identity anyway and he would know that had lied to him. He could only hate her for leaving like that. There was no doubt that he'd be angry with her for running away but that didn't matter. This way…at least he could safe. Safe from harm. Safe from her.

And Patamon, the small thing obviously had no clue to what had been going on. And through all the turmoil of having two of his friends run off, he had been separated from his partner, unable to reach him and tell him what was happening. It must have been torture for the poor creature that she no longer deserved to call her friend.

Then there was Sora…What would she be thinking? Kari had been unable to turn back when she had run off because she had known that her eyes must have been filled with so much disappointment. She was being so selfish in running. There were people who needed her. Sora's people needed her and she had run away. Sora must have been so angry and so betrayed. All those promises she had made…all those promises that she had failed to keep.

But she was resolute. All of this pain, all of this suffering was needed to protect TK. Maybe it was selfish putting his life above all the rest but there was no way she could let what she had seen come true.

She looked down at her hands, shaking slightly still from seeing that vision. It had been so clear, so vivid, and so real. She could still feel the blood on her hands and beneath her nails. She could still feel the cold blade as she stabbed the only person she had ever loved through the back and into his heart. His last breath still brushed past her ear as he exhaled his last breath and fell into an eternal sleep that she had inflicted on him.

Visions of his eyes flickered across her sight. They were so dull, as his life poured away, but they were so pain – the pain that she had caused. Those dull, lifeless eyes haunted her. She couldn't get them out of her mind and she hated it.

Kari knew she could never allow that to happen. So to protect him she had to disappear. She had to go somewhere where she would never be found – that way he would be safe. That way, she wouldn't be able to harm him. He would live. And, even if it hurt her more than she imagined as she made her decision back in that dark cave, she was happy with that. A small smile formed in her lips knowing that TK could still be happy.

"What happened Kari?" Gatomon asked sadly.

"I killed him," she whispered, with tears in her eyes. "I betrayed him."

"What are you talking about?"

"The prophecy…I kill TK."

"Kar–" began Gatomon but was cut off as she heard a stick snap from behind them. She looked up on alert.

"Who's there?" demanded Kari, putting her hand on the hilt of her sword.

The bushes rustled around them and Kari felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It was quiet – too quiet. She only realised it now but there were no bird noises. No small animals scampering around. "Come on out you coward. Show yourself."

A woman stepped out into the open. She looked like she was no older than twenty. Her blonde hair was streaked with orange and red, making it look like fire. She stood with her bow aimed at her. A digimon stood by her side, his flaming sword held out ready to attack. His armour seemed to be glowing because of the orange light his sword was giving out. Kari noted that in his left hand he was holding a crystal ball that she had a bad feeling about.

Gatomon whispered nervously to Kari. "Be careful. He's an ultimate level. Mystimon."

A second later people appeared at all sides, each armed with their own bow. Some of them were no older than eight but they had one thing in common. They were all female. Most of their digimon were rookie level but she noticed that some of the older one's digimon had reached champion level. There were Sorcerymon, Wizardmon and Witchmon, all standing defensively by their partners.

"Tell me who you are and why you're here," the fiery haired woman demanded. At her feet a circle of glowing ancient runes appeared, reminding her of how the seal had been placed on her arm, and the arrow head shone bright blue as it was infused with the woman's magic.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the same happening with all the women's arrows.

"I said 'tell me who you are and why you're here'," the woman repeated angrily, her eyes flashing fiercely, when Kari was unable to answer – still taking in the situation she had found herself in.

Kari looked around and felt the intense gaze of what seemed like hundreds of eyes on her and Gatomon.

Ruby eyes.

Witch's eyes…

* * *

Please don't hate me. Even evil people need to be loved. My rooms been redecorated. It looks so nice and my new carpet is soft. I'll be updating soon. Please review and get a preview.

Just to keep the evil-glares-of-complete-and-utter-doom away, read the first part of the prophecy again. There's hints of what is really going on in there.


	18. To Kidnap

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

* * *

**Chapter 18 – To Kidnap**

High up in the Baboa Mountains TK, Sora, Patamon and Biyomon overlooked the narrow mountain path that led to the palace; the sparkling towers of the crystal palace the Elvin city was famed from were visible even from the distance they were at. TK smiled at Sora when her face lit up at the sight, unconsciously patting the bag at her waist to make sure that she still had the message.

It had been a week since they'd seen the Oracle and since that day they'd made a silent taboo on mentioning Kari's name. Both Sora and TK felt the betrayal of their friend. It was on the day that she ran that they'd learnt she was not as perfect as they'd been thinking. Her brave façade had broken and she had run and no matter what they tried to convince themselves otherwise in her eyes that day they had seen fear.

She hadn't been brave enough to face that fear and so instead she had run, leaving broken promises behind, ones made to her friends and to herself. Despite the fact that TK had known her longer he could see that Sora had taken her betrayal harder than him. Sometimes at night when he was sitting at the campfire he could hear her talk in her sleep, mumbling about broken promises and how she thought someone had been her friend.

He was pretty sure he knew whom she was talking about.

Patamon was glum for one of the first times in his life. It seemed that despite Gatomon's mocking and cold exterior Patamon had formed a bond with the cat and had managed to find her soft side.

TK felt sorry for his partner, since recently they had been moving around a lot and he was unable to make friends and he knew that despite Patamon's bubbly exterior that he was really an uncertain and nervous person that needed the stability of having friends around him.

Gatomon's constant presence and friendship had seemed to be enough to keep him happy so now that she was gone TK couldn't help but worry, especially since they were about to part from the only other friends that they had met on their journey.

"You sure that you don't mind me not taking you the last bit of the way?" asked TK, breaking the silence that had befallen them.

"I'm sure. You've got a job to do and it's at least half a day's journey from here to the palace with this rocky terrain," she said kicking a rock over the side of the mountain to prove her point, "That mean's you'll loose a days worth of travelling if you take me."

"You're sure you'll be safe?" he asked protectively, he had grown to think of Sora as a sister.

"Yes, We'll be fine. Won't we Biyomon?"

Biyomon nodded. "Yes, and if with get attacked this time I have enough energy to digivolve."

"Awh," whined Patamon, "I wish I could digivolve. I bet I would look super cool! But I can't. I blame this guy," he said pointing at TK.

TK laughed. "I'm sorry that I don't want you to change. I worry that you'll be different and won't want to change back."

"Won't you like me if I change?" asked Patamon, blue eyes wide an innocent yet somehow still showing the mischievous evil of the question. TK rubbed his partner's head playfully.

"Of course I will. How I could I hate you? It's just you've been this way ever since I was ten. I guess I don't want that to change. But I'm sure that you'll look awesome when you reach your champion level."

Patamon smiled. "You said 'when' not 'if', is that a promise?"

TK smiled, "As long as you want it to be then it's a promise. So we'll see you again sometime won't we?" he asked turning to Sora and Biyomon.

"Of course. You and Ka…You've been great to me and I'm glad that we had a chance to meet. We're bound to meet up sooner or later because of this war. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Good luck."

"I'll miss you as well," chipped in Patamon.

"Bye Patamon," waved Biyomon, as she and Sora began to walk away. TK couldn't help feel his heart sink. Now he and Patamon were alone. He gave a small smile though; as long as he had Patamon with him then he'd never be alone.

"Come on Patamon. Let's go."

"OK," he said, flying up onto TK's head. "You know," he said after TK's hair tickled his nose and made him sneeze, "You should think about getting a hat."

"You think so?"

"Uh huh. And it'll need to be big and with a feather."

"You're joking aren't you?"

"No. Wait, wait! What about a pirate hat? They look pretty comfy."

"For me or for you?"

"Me of course," exclaimed Patamon, "It'll be so nice to lie on. Like a bed."

"You're saying my head's not good enough for you?"

"Of course not…but it is a bit hard."

"Are you saying I'm hard-headed?" asked TK teasingly.

"No. I didn't mean it that way," apologised Patamon.

"Good."

"But you're still getting a hat. And it'll have to be quite big and not have the pointed tops like some of those ones we saw in that town that had the demon racoon that stole my food. Oh, and it can't be round at the top …"

TK smiled as his partner jabbered away.

-

Mimi eyes were still wide with confusion as she was carried off on horseback, her partner being carried on the back of another digimon, while she had been gripped round the waist quite suddenly and pulled onto a horse and carried by the waist, much to her indignation, like a prize, until he finally swung her round behind him, going so fast that she had to grip onto him so she didn't fall off the horse.

In short she was being abducted – not to mention some quite dangerous looking men were chasing them.

She screamed curses at him and hit his back, screaming as the horse leapt over some bushes and she almost lost her head on an overhanging branches.

"Such a colourful vocabulary you have for a lady," he mocked, as he, deliberately in her eyes, made the horse leap through an impossibly narrow gap between two trees scaring the life out of her.

"Put me down. Right now!" she screamed, glaring at the back of his head.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that."

"Why not?" she demanded, pounding his back again.

"I couldn't let those bad men hurt you now," he smirked, turning to face her with his mysterious blue eyes, half hidden by his blonde bangs.

She cursed. When she had wished for more excitement in her life this was not what she had meant – not what she meant at all.

-

One hour before

-

Mimi sighed as she gave the wooden tables a final wipe down before the tavern opened up for lunch. It was the same thing every day. She would wake up, get dressed, serve the morning guests, have breakfast with Palmon, serve the lunch guests and work way into the night, before she finally had five minutes to herself and Palmon and she'd be too exhausted to do anything. She was sick of it all.

Everything was the same boring routine everyday. She thought that Shin, the murderer and husband of her unborn baby, was gone then she'd be happy. But she wasn't. There was a war going on and she was stuck inside cleaning tables ready for the punters who'd get drunk and make inappropriate comments.

Her life was dull. There were no two ways about it. She once heard the expression 'Work to live. Don't live to work.' Now she understood what it meant. She had been working so hard that she'd forgotten all about everything else in the world and it was only just dawning on her what was out there – there was a whole world out there.

And that was the problem. She'd locked herself away so long out of fear of what would happen if she didn't, fear of being hurt again, that now the thought of stepping out into that world was enough to petrify her.

Mimi wished she could be braver. She looked at the pale line on her ring finger, from where the sun had been unable to touch it for years because of her ring, and she knew that this was not what Joe would have wanted for her. He would want her to brave. He would want her to see the world – not the street through the kitchen window.

"I wish something interesting could happen for once," she muttered, taking a bucket out to the water pump.

"Hi, Mimi," Palmon said happily, meeting her partner at the pump.

"How are you? I haven't been able to see you since this morning."

"I'm fine. But a couple of thugs came into town a few hours ago. They don't look so good. Maybe you shouldn't work in the bar today Mimi."

Mimi placed a sad hand on her partner's flowery head. "I'm sorry but I have to. If I don't work then Mr Okinawa will fire me. Where would we be if that happened? The house was burnt down in the fire. We'd be out on the streets if part of the pay for working at that tavern wasn't shelter."

"I'm just worried Mimi. They looked ten times worse than Sanji," Palmon said, referring to the man that they had seen an Elvin girl through across the room just before the fire, "And they were talking about the princess."

"Princess Hikari?" Mimi asked, slightly surprised as she began pumping the water into her bucket.

"Uh huh. They've heard rumours that she's being held hostage by a witch coven just past the border."

"A witch coven?"

"Yep, there's supposed to be a secret society of witches living on the border and on of the local residents saw the witches' leader fighting the princess over a week ago and that they took her back to their village after they knocked her out.

"And now they're planning to invade the witch village to get the princess themselves even though the witches are really distrusting and usually kill anyone that isn't from the local village on sight."

"Palmon?" Mimi asked slowly.

"Yeh?"

"Just how long were you listening to those men?"

Palmon laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with her vine like hands. "Not too long. But I only did it to find out if they were dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine."

"Please be careful. I found out that they're mercenaries hired by the Kaiser of Sangrar."

"What does he want with the princess? She has nothing to do with Sangrar."

Palmon shrugged. "She's a bargaining chip in the war. It's already public knowledge that the Elves are searching for her as well. The only people that don't seem to be after her are the Mer and to be honest, they don't care about the matters of 'airbreathers who steal fish from the homelands'. They're really quite odd."

"I know. And they have no fashion sense either." Palmon laughed. Typical Mimi.

"Be careful."

"Aren't I always?" asked Mimi, fumbling for the keys for the backdoor of the tavern.

"I know. But it's only natural for me to worry about you. I am your partner after all."

"I'll see you later Palmon," Mimi smiled, finally opening the door with a heavy sigh and closed it behind her, slumping slightly on it. She was glad that Palmon didn't see just how scared she was that there were mercenaries in the small town. She felt herself bristle at the thought. Shin Kido had been a mercenary. He merciless and violent, even towards his own family – his own flesh and blood.

He was a man who could kill someone and actually enjoy the pain and suffering he inflicting – just like those mercenaries would be.

"You're late," came a harsh voice.

She turned to see her boss looking angrily at her. "I'm sorry Mr Okinawa, there was a queue at the water pump. I had to get it to wash the tables."

"Don't let it happen again. There are plenty of others who'd want your job and they'd work harder too."

"It won't. I promise," Mimi said desperately.

"Then get back to work," her boss replied grouchily, "There are customers coming in already."

Mimi nodded and quickly received a sponge and some soap and began scrubbing down the tables for the lunch crowd, muttering under her breath about the lousy pay. The door creaked as a cloaked man came in and, without a single word, sat in the darkest corner.

Most people would have been slightly anxious of a faceless stranger turning up and hiding in the shadows but she was used to it. After all it had been that way back at her house while Shin had been in charge. He was probably up to something bad, most likely illegal too. She'd just ignore the man and wait for him to ask her to take his order.

Mimi picked up the bucket, bit back a curse as she spilled some of the water on the table – she was so going to pay for that later – and walked behind the bar, ready to serve the next customer that walked through the door, which was about ten minutes later. She sucked in her breath at the sight, paling beneath her skin.

Their gleaming metal armour, expertly made weapons and the way they carried themselves was enough to tell her that the four that had just walked in were the mercenaries Palmon had spoken of and by the quality of everything they carried they were successful mercenaries.

She waited five minutes as they settled down, laughing over stories that she found monstrous, before walking over to serve them. "What can I get you?" she asked nervously.

"Three large ales and a sake, woman." Mimi gritted her teeth at the man's rudeness but said nothing in return. These were not men to be messed with.

"Coming right up sir," she said and turned to leave but the man gripped her roughly around her wrist.

"What's that?" he demanded, pointing to her chest. She turned bright red, unsure whether out of anger or embarrassment. How could he be so callous?

"I beg your pardon sir?" she asked incredulously.

The cloaked man turned to watch the unravelling scene but did nothing to help.

A smirk broke out on the mercenaries face as his grip on her wrist increased so much that tears of pain formed in her eyes. "As beautiful as you are and how much you admire yourself that is not what I'm after. I'd like to see that locket of yours. Hand it over." Mimi's face turned redder – this time she was certain it was out of anger.

Joe gave the necklace to her when they first met. It was her most treasured belonging. It was in the shape of a padlock and was set with diamonds and sapphire in the shape of a raindrop.

'_My mother once told me to only to give this to someone special, the one that I would marry some day._' Joe had said that and, no matter how odd it was to have a complete stranger confessing to her, it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done. She'd known that they belonged together from that moment. She could be rich if she sold it, enough so that she would never have to work in taverns again but she wouldn't do that for the world. It meant too much to her.

And that pig wanted to get his hands on it!

Mimi did the only thing that came into her head at the time. She kneed him where the sun don't shine, freeing herself from his grip and, realising what she had done by the sound of his friends drawing their blades, fled the tavern.

She could hear the mercenary's curses and the sound of them running after her. "Get back here you hag!"

"What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?" Mimi repeated to herself, "Palmon!" Her partner appeared next to her almost immediately, wide eyed with fear.

"What did you do Mimi?" Palmon wailed, as several Goblimon chased her with clubs. She screamed as a large digimon snatched her up in its jaws and ran off before she could make out what it was.

"PALMON!" Mimi screamed but she felt a yank round her waist and was hoisted into the air. The world zoomed past her face as she looked down at the horse's feet. She was going to die. They were going to carry her off and do unspeakable things before she was finally brutally murdered.

She screamed, as she struggled to break free of her captor's grasp. She didn't want to die like this. She wanted to die an old lady with grandkids who would miss her.

"Stop struggling or I'll drop you," her captor replied. She froze; this wasn't one of the mercenaries' voices. She looked up to see the cloaked man. She screamed again and struggled even harder. She was not going to be kidnapped by a criminal. He could be even worse than the mercenaries. He could be a serial killer and she'd be his next victim.

The man growled in frustration as she continued to struggle and she was suddenly whipped round behind him, "Hold on or you'll fall off." As if to prove his point the horse leapt five feet in the air over a shrub. Another scream came out of her mouth as she panicked, reactively holding onto the only thing she could – his waist.

She was so going to kill this man for what he was doing.

As she cursed him and hit his back his hood fell off, revealing the blonde hair of her captor. Just from the back of his head she knew his face would be handsome, a gift of hers. She cursed some more. He was going to be egoistical. She just knew it. She didn't want to be kidnapped by some egomaniac, serial killer. She screamed again as the horse leapt over some bushes and curses tumbled out as she almost lost her head on overhanging branches.

"Such a colourful vocabulary you have for a lady," he mocked, as he made the horse leap through an impossibly narrow gap between two trees scaring the life out of her.

"Put me down. Right now!" she screamed, glaring at the back of his head.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that."

"Why not?" she demanded, pounding his back again.

"I couldn't let those bad men hurt you now," he smirked, turning to face her with his mysterious blue eyes, half hidden by his blonde bangs.

She cursed. Even if she got away from one psycho she'd just be prey to four more.

"Who are you," Mimi demanded, feeling defenceless that she had been separated from her partner.

The blonde smiled. "My names Yamato Ishida but you can call me Matt. How about you stop screaming and giving away our position?" He smirked. What she would do to wipe that look off his face.

"Oh god," she groaned, "Don't tell me your TK's brother." The name was all too familiar. She had never met TK's brother before but now she knew the relationship she could see it clearly, Despite everything around her, just knowing who the man off, she felt slightly safer. TK never mentioned his brother being a serial killer so perhaps that assumption was a little off."

He smiled. "As a matter of fact I am. Pleasure to meet you Miss."

"Watch where you're riding," Mimi screeched as they almost got their heads taken off…again. Her heart was pounding. There had only ever been one time in her life when she was more petrified than she was now. How could that guy be so careless that he wasn't even watching where he was going?

"So how do you know my brother?" he asked calmly.

"Why are you saving me?"

"I told you that I couldn't let those guys get you."

Mimi didn't believe him. "I don't believe you."

He smirked. "Joe always did say that you had character. I'm sorry about your loss."

"Don't change the subject."

The smirk grew. "You catch on quick too. Fine you got me. I do have an ulterior motive. Your necklace –"

"You're not having it."

"I don't need you to give it to me. It belongs to you. I just need your help. What is your necklace to you?"

"Joe gave it to me when we first met. It's a memento. What's it to you?"

"To me, it's the second Icerenia piece."

Mimi choked. "You're kidding me. TK was always going on about how smart you are and you still believe in fairy tales?"

"It's not a fairy tale."

"A myth then. You still believe in it though."

"So did Joe," Matt countered, steering the horse into a clearing, checking over is shoulder to see if they were still being followed.

"He did?" asked Mimi surprised. She had never heard him once speak of the myth.

"He did," confirmed Matt, "He's been making sure that it will come to pass for years. Why else do you think he risked his life to free whatever name our good friend is going by these days. I assume you know who I'm talking about and if not you can forget I ever said that." Mimi nodded. "He also located all five pieces but he was only able to keep one under his possession by the looks of it – the only one he didn't tell us the location of."

"My necklace?" Mimi frowned. For some reason it was easy to talk about her late husband with Matt, despite their currant situation. She wasn't too sure if that was a good thing or not but she was at least glad to find some common ground with him.

She was still going to get him back later though.

"Exactly," Matt agreed, "He must have trusted you a lot to let it be under your possession." Mimi smiled. "So this leaves me in a bit of a predicament."

"Why?"

"See, we need all the pieces and I can't exactly take that off you, at least not for such a great distance, seeing as it's so precious. Which means I'm going to have to take you to the Baboa mountains whether you like it or not." He smirked, which was beginning to tick her off, "It'll be a long journey so you better get comfy."

"Who says I'm going with you?" Mimi asked angrily.

"Well it's me or those mercenaries. Take your pick." She didn't need to think about it. Four men who would kill her if they got the chance or someone she practically knew from the tales TK had told when he stayed at the inn. It wasn't too hard to choose. But that didn't mean she was going to trust him. She knew through experience just how different brothers could be.

"I hate you."

"I hate you too," he mocked teasingly. The grin on her face told her she might very well regret her decision to travel with him.

-

Kari raised her bow up and pointed at the fiery haired witch, as she walked past in the trees, her own bow in her left hand and an arrow ready in the right. She moved slightly to the left to get a better aim, measuring the shot out in her mind and sizing her opponent's skills against her own.

She was weak and tired and knew that if she didn't make the shot then it would be over. She wondered where Gatomon was briefly before focusing fully on her task. She couldn't be thinking about other things right now.

She took a step back into position.

Snap!

Kari's eyes widened as the witch turned to look at her with a smirk. How could she have made such an amateur mistake? How could she have let her guard down to make such a simple mistake? She didn't have any excuse. She had been practising archery for years and knew the rules when it came to taking the any by surprise.

"There you are princess," the witch said, her arrow glowing blue as the magical symbols appeared.

"Miku," acknowledged Kari, just before the witch released the arrow. It narrowly skimmed her ear and hit the branch behind her. Kari smiled. So did Miku.

"You're trainings coming along really well," Miku said happily as walked over.

"I guess," sighed Kari, "But I tire so quickly."

"You just need to get used to using magic. You're a witch too Kari – that much was obvious when we first saw your eyes – when you need it then it will come to you."

"I know. It's just…at the moment I'm getting so tired that I can't concentrate properly. I'm not thinking things through properly. Like just then. I should never have been able to make that mistake." Miku shook her head.

"You expect to much of yourself Kari. Learning the arts of our ancestors is hard. You're not going to become a master at it in just a few weeks, although if you ask me you are on the way." She smiled warmly. "Now lets get back to the village – practise was meant to end a while ago and I don't want our sisters to worry."

'That's right', thought Kari, 'I have a family now.'

It had been just over a fortnight since she had her, admittedly absolutely terrifying, first encounter with the witch coven – her coven. She had thought that she was going to die right there but then they had seen her eyes, her trademark ruby eyes.

Upon discovering her witch blood they had relaxed slightly, although Miku, who Kari knew now was their guardian remained alert and ready to fight. The witches may not have leaders but as guardian of the village it was Miku's job to protect everyone.

When they finally believed that she wasn't a threat, they had invited her back to their village wanting to know all about her: whether she had a coven, did she know she was a witch, had she ever practised her powers and so on.

Kari soon found that she could keep no secrets from them and soon into their lengthy discussion she freely admitted that she was the princess and how she had escaped. She knew now that it was the fact that they were all witches that she had opened up so quickly to them. As part of the sisterhood she would never be able to keep secrets from them.

The magical and psychological bond between witches was instantaneous and powerful. Back before the witch hunts it had been it hadn't been as strong but the need for survival of their diminishing population has become stronger so that they would always be safe in a coven. It was why the witches had the fewest wars amongst themselves out of all the peoples.

Kari had been invited to join their coven and, with nowhere else to go, she agreed and truly became one of their sisters. They had had a massive party that night to celebrate, even though they barely knew her. For the first time in her life she felt at home, without any doubts or regrets. She was finally able to be with people who knew who she was, everything about her including her flaws and still accept her the way she was.

She was brave when it came to fighting but she was weak when it was fighting for what she believed in. She was afraid of the feelings in her own heart and so avoided the matter. She'd run away from the problem and never face it head on.

She was smart but made rash decisions, like when she chose to run away without even considering how it would affect the peace between the kingdoms. She wasn't spoilt but she was selfish. She had chosen her own freedom above her people's happiness and she had chosen TK's life over the whole world's happiness and yet, her sisters understood.

Never once had anyone of them looked at her with shame or disgrace. She could just be, something that she never could before.

For the first time in her life she truly understood what it meant to have family, although there was a small empty hollow in her heart that just could not be touched and every time she thought about TK that hollow just grew, she was learning everyday, enjoying moments she should of have with her parents instead of the witch elders.

She looked back at Miku. She had an air of majesty around her. She carried herself with the utmost confidence that stopped just before it reached over confidence. She had learnt a lot from her and also a lot about her ancestry, since almost all knowledge of witches had been tainted and all she had learnt about them was out of books that spoke of red eyes and monstrous acts.

She learnt that only females would gain powers from their witch blood while males could only be carriers of it, which would explain why she was the first witch in the family for who knows how long. Stretching far back into time the heads of the royal family had only given birth to male heirs, meaning nobody would have known about the fact they carried witch blood.

During the witch-hunts people took advantage of the fact the witch's lovers and sons not being able to defend themselves properly. They would threaten the witches by using them, making sisters turn on one and other. In the end most witches took a vow not to form a relationship with anyone until the hunts were over, knowing that more witches would be born when their sons, who were not persecuted because their eyes were normal and they could hide, had their own children.

Miku's coven took in any lost witches like they were family. Whenever they stumbled upon the coven they would be welcomed warmly and they would even help train her powers. Kari couldn't help but smile. Everyone she met had found a family here just like her.

Some had been rejected from their families because of their gift and had found refuge in the forest, others were sent by their families because the villagers began to turn on them or they wanted their child to be able to use their gift, and a few found refuge in the witch village after their families were murdered for their connection to witches.

As time went along Kari learnt the art of witchery was not about casting flashy spells and looking good but about protecting and healing. They worked in harmony with nature to protect it for their children and knew many things about mixing plants to make healing balms and potions, although not the magical kind that appeared in the fairy tales.

She also found out how symbols also played an important role in witchcraft – most formed inside a circle. For example, if you drew one symbol and stood in the centre of it you would be able to see the future, albeit rather inaccurately. The oracle could see the future that was set in stone but witches could only see the future based on the decisions that people make. If a decision changed then so did the vision of the future. But, if you drew a different symbol, you would be able to see the past or even control one of the four elements, although that was extremely advanced magic.

"Kari?" asked Miku when she noticed the vacant look on her friend's face. "Is something bothering you?"

"Not really. Everything's fine." Kari replied half truthfully to avoid the openness she felt to other witches, although her mind was still rather distant from the conversation.

"Race you back," Miku shouted playfully as she took off, knowing just how to get Kari's mind off whatever it was she was thinking.

"Hey! No head starts," laughed Kari following her sister, feeling more alive by the moment. She jumped over a fallen tree playfully and span slightly as she ran, letting the sun that managed to break through the branches to light up her face.

She had been free before but had trapped herself in a world of lies. Now she had finally broken away she realised how much she had cornered herself. One lie led to another and before she knew it she was backed up against the wall. Her body had been free but her mind had still been trapped.

She could be anything she wanted to be now. She could finally abandon her old life and find the happiness she had been searching for her whole life.

"MIKU!" called a distant voice happily.

Miku's face lit up like the sun as she span on the spot and changed the direction she was running in. Kari followed her, albeit a bit slower. "Ryu!" she called happily as she launched herself into the arms of a black haired boy a year or two older than her, effectively knocking him to the floor.

"It's good to see you too," teased Ryu.

"I haven't seen you in ages though," complained Miku.

"It's only been a week like usual," he retorted, his green grey eyes smiling up at her.

Kari coughed. They turned to look at her. "You might want to move before anyone else sees you in such a compromising position."

They blushed, realising that Miku was still on him pinning him to the ground, and their faces almost close enough to be kissing. Miku leapt up as if she had been hit by lighting. "Kari," she exclaimed, "You know it's not like that. Ryu's my best friend." Kari noticed the pained look in Ryu's eyes and frowned.

She hadn't known Miku long enough to know everything about her but it was obvious that she loved Ryu as more than a friend, even if she herself hadn't realised yet. Ryu obviously liked her too but she could tell that he valued his friendship too much to say anything. It'd be too awkward between them. But if he left it then he would be throwing away what could be the best thing that would ever happen to him away. He should just tell her how he feels.

'You're such a hypocrite, Hikari,' she thought to herself, while another told her she was just speaking from experience.

"Come on Ryu, we're just heading back to the village," Miku said happily, getting over the village. She grabbed his hand, causing him to blush several shades of red that went unnoticed by the young witch guardian, and dragged him along happily as she ran. "Everyone's been looking forward to seeing you again."

"Even Baba Yaga?" asked Ryu teasingly. Kari couldn't help but stifle a laugh, as she trooped along behind them.

Miku grunted angrily and hit his arm. "Has no one ever told you to respect your elders before? Granny Yaya is a very respectable woman in the coven. She's been a witch a very long time."

"And no doubt battled the dinosaurs with her awesome powers."

"You're so mean to granny Yaya. What has she ever done to you?"

"She hates me," deadpanned Ryu. Kari had to say it was an understatement.

Granny Yaya detested Ryu's presence more than anyone she had ever met. She was old enough to remember being there in the remnants of the witch-hunts, meaning she also had the old witch morals. She believed that witches shouldn't be in relationships, let alone the guardian of the village should be in one. But Miku wasn't in a relationship but Granny Yaya could see that there would be one if she didn't try and prevent it.

"Granny Yaya doesn't hate you," protested Miku.

Kari laughed. "Keep fooling yourself Miku and one day you may actually believe it."

She glared at Kari.

"You know it's the truth."

She sighed. "I don't see what's wrong about me being friends with a 'human boy'. I mean it's not like I can be friends with a witch boy."

"Well this human boy is pretty glad to be human," remarked Ryu, "I think my gender would be questionable otherwise." Miku laughed, while both were still unawares that they still holding hands. Kari smiled, letting the moment last as long as possible.

Eventually they reached a part deep in the forest where the canopy was lower than usual and a single rock, pearly white and the size of a grown human curled up in a ball, stood out against the mossy green background. It looked as if it had been polished recently since there was no plant growth on its shiny surface that seemed to swirl like mist underneath.

"Can I do it this time?" asked Kari.

"Sure," replied Miku, noticing that she was holding hands with Ryu but thinking nothing of it.

Kari smiled and walked over to the stone and flicked one of her daggers into her hand. Her heart flinched as she recalled a memory that seemed so long ago.

_TK turned around to leave, when he noticed the knife stuck in a nearby tree and walked over to it out of curiosity. The dagger felt warm in his hand as he his fingers around it and pulled it from the trunk._

_He looked at it in shock and disbelief. Suck to the end of the knife was a bug around the size of his fingernail. It had a blood red sting pointed outwards, as if it was about to sting something – or someone._

"_Wow TK. I think she saved your life," said Patamon, "She must have a really good shot."_

"_I think you're right," he said and kneeled down on the floor and wiped the bug off in the grass. When he got to his feet he ran through the trees to catch up with the mysterious girl. He stopped, panting before her and half bent over to catch his breath, and friendlily said, "You forgot your knife."_

_The girl looked at him and admired his persistence. Her expression softened from the hard one that she had previously wearing and took the dagger from his hand, her hand slightly brushing his and sending unwilling tingles up his spine, and uttered a soft, "Thank you."_

It was the same dagger. She'd changed a lot in the space of time she had travelled with him. She hadn't realised how much at the time but it seemed obvious now. She was grateful to him for that and in return she would make sure she could never harm him. She was running from fate but she needed time to think of another solution. She needed a way to save him.

But now wasn't the time to think of that. She gently pressed the end of her blade into her finger, only just drawing blood. She let a single drop of blood fall onto the pearly stone – the witch stone – and let her witch blood activate it, while she sucked on her finger to stop the bleeding.

The stone glowed a pale blue and a ladder made of light appeared, lifting up high into the trees up to the hidden village. Kari smiled. She was glad that she had finally done this. It was proof of her witch blood was really there. If anyone other than a witch had tried that then the stone would have turned red and something bad, she wasn't sure what since the others didn't really want to talk about it, would have happened to them.

She grabbed hold of the ladder and began to climb home.

It had a nice ring to it.

_Home_.

* * *

So Kari's found a place she can belong with the witches but the Prophecy is still in motion and another Icenria poece is being taken to King Ashnark and poor old Matt doesn't realise what it means for TK bringing it to the old Elvin king or maybe he does ... I'm not telling you yet. I told you Matt was entering in style. He kidnapped Mimi.

Preview: _"Sister Kari! There were these men in the forest. They're planning an attack on the village – our village. There are so many of them. And the weapons they have – they're so sharp and scary looking."_

Review for an **Extended Preview. **The first person to review (or if you already reviewed on the old version first to IM me) gets **a whole chapter a day early**


	19. To Defend

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

**Important note to swoop17** - I know I promised you a whole chapter a day before everyone else but there's no IM or email button on your page and so I couldn't. I promise if you send me your email adress or whatever you want then I'll send you the next chapter a day before everyone else. (And you'll probably want it with the evilness I have at the end of this.)

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Chapter 19 – To Defend

The witch coven's village had a serene feel to it. The peace of knowing they were completely hidden away in the treetops, unless people were searching it out deliberately, helped many of Kari's sisters feel safe for the first time in their lives.

The coven was formed mainly of the young witches that had been torn from their families because of prejudices they faced in society. The witch-hunts may have been long over but they had left a great distain for her kind. The law tended to overlook that though.

The village was made up of wooden huts that were octagonal in shape and wrapped around a tree, interconnecting with the other huts with wooden bridges. The younglings though tended to enjoy practising walking from branch to branch as a game, until the elders chastised them for misbehaving. It was like something out of a fairytale and for once Kari didn't mind.

No sooner than they were up the strange ladder, a small crowd of younglings had gathered, their attention switching from Kari and Miku to Ryu in an instant, goofy grins and soft blushes appearing on their faces.

"Brother Ryu!" they exclaimed happily. Ryu felt honoured to be called brother, being the only male that they had let into their society after he helped them trade with people in local villages so they had enough food to go around. It was only after that he began to bond with Miku.

"Hey kids," he smiled.

"Where's Gekomon?" a girl, no older than five demanded, pouting as she crossed her arms and huffed.

"He's down at the lake. I left him there before I ran into Miku and Kari. I'm sure he'll love to play with you." Ryu spoke softly, a gentle smile on his face. Kari couldn't help but think what a great father he would make. Her eyes wandered to Miku. When was she going to realise the boy meant more to her than a friend?

"Look after them Sister Arianna," Miku called to the oldest girl, about twelve-years-old, whose platinum white hair was held in place by a silver pin with pentacle hanging from the end.

She had grown quite close to the younger witch and respected her deeply. She had survived an attack on her village when it was burnt to the ground by shielding herself and her younger sister with magic she didn't even know she had at the time. She had only been eight when it happened and provided her sister with all she needed until she found the village two years before after wandering for the same amount of time.

"Maybe you'll see that boy of yours," teased Kari.

Arianna blushed shyly, before ushering the younger ones in a soft voice but firm voice down the ladder, which faded as the last began to disappear through the foliage.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Ryu.

Miku shrugged. It's almost time for tea. We're making it in the big hut if you want to join us. We'll send for the younglings when it's almost time."

He nodded. "And are we going to have one of your infamous stories?" A lopsided grin appeared on his face. Miku was a wonderful storyteller. During the time Kari had been there she would tell each legend of witch history from the unsung heroes of the days of the witch-hunts to the very first witches in time. Kari couldn't wait for the next one.

These weren't fairytales, they were the tales of the past that made the witch culture what it was today.

Miku flushed in embarrassment. "I'm not that good. I'm just passing on the legends to the next generation." He gave her a sceptical look but didn't press the matter.

"So what will it be today?" he asked as they walked across the wooden bridge into the main living hut. It was where they all gathered in the evening and had their meals.

"The story or the meal?" joked Miku, tapping Ryu's stomach.

"Both."

"It's just a simple broth, although sister Ankara has been experimenting with the spices recently." All the witches present winced at the memory of the last few meals. Ryu gave a hearty laugh until Miku glared at him. "You won't be finding it so funny after today's meal. Seriously, I think that girl is trying to kill us."

"So…where's baba yaga?"

Miku rolled her eyes and refused to answer the question as they gathered round the fire, to find the food was already cooking. A young girl with wispy black hair that stuck out in random directions, giving her an impish look, was standing over the pot, tipping an unknown spice in the fire with her ruby eyes aglow.

"Do you need help Ankara?" Miku asked nervously.

The girl shook her head, rubbing her hands together mischievously before reaching for another pot of spices, oblivious to the queasy looks the others had on their faces. "Are you going to tell a story Miku?"

Miku nodded, pulling a cushion across the floor and sat opposite the fire. "I was thinking about telling the tragedy of The Oracle."

A few of the older girls gasped happily, having already heard it before, sitting down and calling to their friends and soon a large crowd had gathered.

Kari grabbed her own cushion and sat near the fire, watching the flames dance upwards and the smoke rise out of the circular hole in the roof, built for that very purpose.

"We all know about the witch-hunts that spread over two and a half hundred years ago in the time of our forefathers," began Miku, shifted slightly so that she could get comfortable. Her firm voice sounded distant as her mind travelled back into the past. "It was a dangerous time for us and our kind was almost wiped out.

"But fewer people think of the time just before the witch hunts began, when the law would turn a blind eye when our sisters went missing without a trace and crimes were committed openly against us. The distrust was deeply rooted and children were taught to avoid us – the "crimson-eyed demons".

"Our sisters knew that hard times were coming. It was in the wind and in the earth. They didn't need a spell to see it; even those without the gift of sight could feel it coming. Laws were being passed. There were to be no gatherings with more than three adults whose religion was not supported by the king.

"That's how our gifts were seen back then – a religion devout to black magic." There were scowls around the circle that had gathered at this point, showing their distaste to how their ancestors were treated, but all had leaned forwards with wide eyes as they were sucked into the world Miku made out of words.

"Our kind had been the healers of this world for millennia, respected leaders of the community, but men grew jealous of our power and wrote it off as the devil's work. All of a sudden families refused to let us heal them, when they were ill, and when soldiers came back from faraway wars they preferred to die an agonising death than be associated with us.

"Our sisters past were beginning to go into hiding – in the forest, in city slums – anywhere where they would not be found. Most had difficulty in doing so, our eye colour, according to legend, was so we could be identified as healers, and were too obvious. They set us apart.

"But there was one girl who had mixed blood of both witch, with ruby eyes, and seer, with eyes topaz. The two colours were blended into a deep amber and went unnoticed as hazel to unobservant passer-bys.

"She moved away to a small town on her sixteenth birthday, leaving her family behind as they wished her to find safety. Her mother had already vanished and they feared the worst and her sisters had fled to the woods long before. She had only stayed to help her father look after her baby brother but the issue of her safety had become too much. She lived in Hosanna for a full year unnoticed, keeping her powers strong by practising in secret.

"Then one day she was walking through the market when a man with raven hair accidentally knocked into her, making her spill the contents of her basket. He helped her pick them up and offered to walk her home.

"The next day there was a bouquet of half a dozen red roses from the gentleman, asking for her permission to court her. It turned out that he had been watching her from afar since he first laid eyes on her but had been to shy to make contact, content with watching her flash warm smiles to the townsfolk and help out those who needed it, giving them money, an apple from her basket or just being there as a friend for them.

"The girl was flattered, as she had admired the man herself but he was the son of the town's head and never thought that he would look at her twice, being the prodigy that he was.

"She granted him permission and they began to court each other and she learnt to trust him completely. After half a year she knew that she couldn't keep her heritage secret from him any longer and so she told him the that she was a witch."

A few of the younger children gasped, not having heard the tale before.

"What did he do?" asked Haley, a five-year-old that was quite fond of Ryu and clung to him whenever she could, shooting looks of jealously and superiority at Miku.

Miku smiled. "He said he already knew.

"The girl was afraid of how he knew, fearing that her secret could be exposed to others in the same way. He calmed her, revealing he had once met a woman with the same eyes when he was riding one time. He had been in an accident and his leg was broken and the witch had performed magic to heal him.

"She asked him why he hadn't told her that he knew or revealed the truth to anyone else. He replied that he wouldn't do anything that might risk him losing her. It was the first time he told her he loved her and the first time she told him she loved him too."

A simultaneous sigh was breathed around the fire. "He proposed to her and they were to be married just before her eighteenth birthday," her tone changed to a much darker one at the end and Kari remembered that The Oracle's story was not a romance but a tragedy.

"Then, just days away from their wedding, something terrible happened. The girl was practising using her seer blood by looking into her own future for any warnings that her secret had been discovered. She had made it a regular practise of hers but what she saw was far worse. Her fiancé was walking to her house like usual when a cart, being pulled by an out of control mare, went careening into him, the twelfth bell of the hour announcing the time of his death.

"The tears were streaming down her face by the time the vision had ended and she ran out of her house, racing to get to the town square in time, as the bell in the church tower began to ring out its pressing countdown.

"She was almost there by the seventh bell and looking out onto the square by the eighth. On the ninth chime she saw her fiancé on the cobbled floor, each bell counting down to his untimely death.

"She ran across the street, narrowly avoiding being ploughed down herself, as she ran to the one she loved, calling out his name as she counted down two more chimes of the bell.

"Eleven bells had gone by.

"In a moment of desperation, she threw away all caution, using her gift to heal him, and by the time the twelfth bell had gone by he was still alive." There were sighs of relief around the circle. "But the townsfolk had seen what she was and there was no going back.

"Before she had a chance to finish healing him, they began to drag her away. She screamed and screamed at them to let her save him but they weren't going to let the devil child who had obviously "bewitched" the young man go anywhere near him.

"They led her, against her protests, towards the pyre where they were going to burn her to death, justifying their foul actions by their belief that only the flames could cleanse her of the evil that inhabited her body and soul.

"But she couldn't leave the earth just yet. She knew that she had only healed the young man enough to prolong his death, making him suffer, before he would inevitably die. Being so far away from him she could do nothing but as they burnt her at the stake, she laid a curse on herself, sacrificing her heart. She gave up her name, her memories and her freedom so that the young man could be reborn and live a full life.

"She became The Oracle at that moment, reborn into another body that would be her home for the next three hundred years in which she must tell all those that wish to know of what the future may bring and, if at the end of those three hundred years, there had not been someone strong enough to lift the curse then her soul would be forced to wander the earth for the rest of time, never reaching what lies beyond."

Kari flinched slightly, an echo of the prophecy in her mind. "She became The Oracle at that moment." A curse. She shook her head. It was wrong. She left TK. It wasn't going to happen.

The gloom was over whelming, until a tearful Haley tucked her face into Ryu's chest. "The Oracle's going to alright won't she?"

"She'll be fine," He whispered soothingly.

"What was the man's name?" she was curious.

Miku shrugged. "It was lost in history. He's nameless, just like she is."

Haley frowned and snuggled into Ryu's chest, before she looked over his shoulder at Miku and stuck her tongue out, before sinking into back the embrace. Ryu was hers.

Kari shuffled to her feet, noticing that the meal was almost ready and, in attempt to delay her suffering, offered to go fetch the younglings from the lake.

Ryu got to his feet. "I better come with you otherwise Gekomon will hate me for not coming to rescue him."

As Kari left she could hear Ankara's voice. "So what do you think? Is it good?"

"It's … it's not actually that bad," came back her friend's voice, sounding almost awed.

"And it doesn't taste of cicada?" pressed Ankara.

Why would it taste of cicada? Kari thought going a little green.

Kari kicked the stone at her feet as they walked towards the lake, a small smile gracing her face as she noticed Gatomon holding an in depth conversation with Ryu. Her status in the world had not only deprived her but also her partner of many things, including friends. It was good to know that it was not a permanent feature.

At the thought of childhood friends Kari raised her hand to her heart, her fist clenching in pain. She had hurt TK and betrayed Sora. Was she doing the wrong thing for the right reason or doing the right thing for the wrong reason. She was being selfish, putting her own desire to save one person above everybody else, but she was doing what was best for him.

Or was it best for her…knowing that she would not be the one to take the life of her best friend and the only person she could ever love.

She scowled. "Destiny" and "fate" had torn her away from the only thing she could remember ever caring so deeply about, except for Gatomon, and she had no one to blame but herself. Right and wrong were only words and a matter of opinion. One telling her she was right to leave TK and the other that it was wrong.

She wished she could just blank it out for a little while longer.

"Kari," called Ryu suddenly, catching her attention, "I forgot to pick up my bag in the village – I've got some treats for the younglings in it – so I'm going to head back and wait around for someone to open it up for me.

Kari smiled and nodded. "I'll see you in a few. I'll save Gekomon for you."

"Come on Gatomon. I'll race you." Kari loved racing through the forest; just the thought of the wind in her hair and the freedom it represented was enough to make her heart race, enough so to block out the feeling that something was missing.

It was Gatomon who ended up bursting through the clearing onto the lake first, shortly followed by Kari. The lake wasn't too large but it had beautifully crystal water and large, smooth rocks just breaking through the top of the water, providing places for the young girls to rest or to jump off from.

The place was magical at night when the water looked like a pure black liquid scattered with stars that had fallen into it. The surrounding trees lit up by the light of fireflies that circled around anyone who ventured there on such a night.

Powdery white sand shifted beneath Kari's feet as she approached her sisters. "Hello."

"Sister Kari!" some swam over to her but never left the warm water, resting their chins above the surface.

"Tea is almost ready. You should start heading back soon."

They nodded but made no indication to move. The corner of Kari's lips twitched upwards. She had the same idea. The idea of Cicada soup did not appeal to her.

Kari sat down by one of the trees for a bit, with Gatomon resting her head on her lap. A lullaby worked its way to her lips as she began to sing it quietly under her breath.

Gatomon looked shocked for a moment but listened fondly. When Kari finished Gatomon looked up with a smile on her face. "Where did you learn that?" Kari was confused as the azure eyes looked up at her with, confusion, joy…hope?

Kari shrugged. "I don't know. I probably heard it around the village."

"Maybe…" sighed the cat sadly. Had she got the answer wrong?

"Is there something I should know?" asked Kari, stroking the purple tips of Gatomon's ears, something that almost always got her partner to talk. The deep rumble of her partner's purr told her that she had succeeded.

"Do you remember … do you remember anything before your sixth birthday?" she asked nervously.

Kari shook her head. "My memory seems a little hazy from that time but then again I was young."

"Do you remember a boy?"

"No. What was he supposed to look like?"

"He had brown hair. You sure you don't remember him?"

"No…Am I supposed to."

"From a certain type of viewpoint," her partner replied cryptically.

"What was his name? His relation to me?"

"You should remember Kari," Gatomon said desperately, trying to get the girl to remember, "He wrote you that lullaby. He sang you to sleep every night since until he left. Why can't you remember that he's…"

Kari winced, touching her temple as a sharp pain began to assault it. Gatomon stopped. It was too soon. She wasn't ready to remember. She herself had forgotten until she read that note in the library so many weeks ago.

It was neater and more elegant but it was still his handwriting. She hadn't mentioned anything. Kari didn't seem to remember and she didn't want to push her memories before their time.

Just like the first time they had forgotten and, being the young and naïve digimon that she was forced the information she had remembered onto Kari. She hadn't realised it was dangerous to force memories that had been blocked by a charm. Gatomon tried not to remember the pale form of her human lying unconscious on her bed, lips blue and ice cold …

… How she almost died.

But Kari would remember soon enough. She would remember that she was not alone.

Gatomon was stirred as too girls, no older than eight, ran to the lake from the opposite direction that Kari and herself had come from. They looked panic stricken, as they searched for the highest figure of authority, which at that time happened to be Kari due to her age.

"Sister Kari! There were these men in the forest. They're planning an attack on the village – our village. There are so many of them. And the weapons they have – they're so sharp and scary looking." The girl paused, hearing the thunder of horses' hooves falling on the ground in the distance. "They're coming!"

"Everybody leave. Get back to the village," commanded Kari, removing her bow and quiver of arrows as her eyes searched through the girls, landing on Arianna. "Sister Arianna!" The girl turned, her face pale as the toddler's she carried on her back.

"Yes sister Kari?"

"Take these," she said firmly, keeping eye contact with the terrified girl as she handed her bow over, "If anything happens I need you to protect them. I'll hold them off as long as possible. Get the younglings back to the village and don't loose anyone. Keep silent and stay clear of the path – those men will be following if they get through."

"But what about you? You –"

"Arianna go. Alert sister Miku and the others. It's your job to look after them now. Do you understand? Now GO!"

Arianna nodded stiffly, before calling out orders to the girls as they disappeared into the trees. Kari's heart pounded as she looked down at Gatomon next to her. "You don't have to stay."

Gatomon shook her head.

"I'll never leave your side."

Kari smiled as strongly as she could in the situation and drew her sword from its sheath. "And I'll never leave yours."

The young princess rested her hand on the hilt of the sword she owed TK. The one she had promised to give them if there were witches in the forest. She was suddenly glad the boy hadn't been around to claim it.

Together, they waited.

-

TK poked the fire with his stick and sighed.

"Stop moping around," chastised Patamon, "It makes you so boring."

"Thanks."

"Come on. Just because Kari didn't tell you she knew the princess didn't mean that she didn't care. Maybe she just thinks you're a threat to the princess."

"I would never-"

"I know. But does she? Imagine what she must have thought when she learnt you were hunting the princess."

TK sighed. "I didn't make a very good impression did I? I guess that was why she was asking me about my relationship with Princess Hikari."

"Cheer up TK." Patamon paused. "Hey, why do you think they came with us in the first place?"

"I don't know. She was probably trying to keep me away from the princess. Come on," he said getting resignedly to his feet, "We have to keep moving. I heard rumours that the villages north of here knew where the princess is."

Patamon grinned. "I get to ride on your head though."

"Sure, sure. Now let's go."

-

Kari winced has the blade just caught her cheek, drawing blood. It had been too close and there were too many men. She swung her ruby sword in front of her, ignoring the resonating clang that sounded.

The battle that had begun when the mercenaries had arrived was immediate. There was a band of at least twenty of them, all attacking before explaining the reason they were there. She felt her heart tug as she looked at the pile of digimon tearing at Gatomon.

Momentarily distracted she was knocked to the ground. She watched as the blade came down and, only inches away from her eyes another sword blocked it long enough for her to flip to her feet.

"Ryu," she breathed thankfully.

"I'll hold this side and you hold that side," he told her, "I've got your back. The others will be here soon. I was already on my way when Arianna found me." She could feel Ryu's back press against her own, as they circled inside the group of mercenaries that had them surrounded, guarding each other's back.

One of the mercenaries lunged and she deftly blocked it with the ruby sword, flicking a dagger from her left hand into his throat whilst he was distracted, whilst another almost caught her side if she hadn't dodged. She had once thought she was skilled at fighting but when pitted against her newest opponents she realised that she wasn't as skilled as she once believed, especially when so greatly outnumbered.

She was in trouble.

-

The brunette sighed, looking at the split path ahead. He knew which one he had to take; courtesy of The Oracle's parting advice, but that didn't stop him wishing otherwise. If he chose the other path he may have a chance at finding the princess he had left behind so many years before.

But it was impossible. The Oracle had told him, if he wished for the girl to live, to go the other way than the one he previously had planned, however he did not understand how waiting in a valley days away could help the princess when she was so close by.

He let out a frustrated growl, startling his partner. "Why do I have to leave her again? I promised her…"

A light pressure was place on his thigh as his partner comforted him. "We have to go. We're meant to be there for a reason, maybe it's so we can bring her back to you."

The brunette nodded and looked back at the path he desired to take. It led to a coven of witches that lived in the forest. He'd heard rumours that Princess Hikari was there, which could only mean one thing – she knew about her witch blood.

Perhaps she had found the note he had left her in one of the books in the palace library. He'd promised that he'd help her escape but she needed hope too, especially as she hadn't recognised him the last time they had met.

Somehow she had forgotten about him, maybe it was that she did not wish to remember. The last time he had spoke to her with her memory intact she had been so hurt and he had no doubt it was that moment in which she stopped believing in the fairytales that she had adored.

It didn't matter though, either way he'd help her remember.

"I'll protect you always," he whispered, before he turned away with a heavy heart. He was so close. He could feel it in his bones. But at the same time it was obviously that he had a long way to go.

They all did.

-

Kari was panting when the first explosion came, the rubble flying up into the air and spraying outwards into their eyes. Turning to see what had happened she saw an arrow sticking out of a whole in the crater. Her eyes widened. Her sisters had arrived.

Grabbing Ryu's shoulder abruptly, she dragged him into the shelter of the trees as glowing blue arrows began to rain down on the mercenaries and a swarm of digimon beat the mercenaries' partners off Gekomon and Gatomon.

"What are you doing here? Our village is a peaceful one."

Kari followed the firm, cold voice across the water of the lake until her eyes landed on Miku, her hair blowing out like flames in the sharp wind and her ruby eyes were hard and steely like the actual gem. It was in that moment Kari finally understood why her bubbly friend was the guardian of the village. The fierce aura that emanated from Miku's composed body made Kari want to tremble, even though she knew that she wasn't in any danger from her friend.

One mercenary with greasy black hair shouted out. "We're 'ere for the princess. We know you 'ave 'er."

Kari felt like she had to speak up and say something so that she could prevent a fight between her new family and the men that were going to hurt them but fear paralysed her. Where would they take her? To her father? To the Imprecatians? To king Ashnark? Or to some other king that would use her as a pawn in their grand scheme?

"The princess stays," hissed Miku, angling her arrow at one man near the head of the group, "We're her family and we will fight for her."

A lanky blond with a curved sword that hooked at the end sneered at her. "I doubt that a princess would align herself with scum like you."

An angry shiver ran up Kari's back and her knuckles turned white as she gripped her sword angrily.

She opened her mouth up when a firm hand squeezed her shoulder. The pixie like hair of Ankara filled her vision. She shook her head. "We know how you feel. You don't have to say anything. We're your family and we will protect you."

Kari felt immense relief at her words, not because she didn't have to speak but because her family knew how she felt because she had already felt a lump in her throat and knew it would have prevented her from admitting who she was.

She hated the thought that she would not have been able to speak up, not even in defence of her family. Why did she have to be so weak?

"Kari?" questioned Ryu, noticing the moisture build up in her eyes.

She shook her head, refusing to answer him, raising her sword defensively as the fight began again. She and Ryu were the only ones, aside from the digimon, who were in close combat, as Miku and the rest of the village needed a bit of distance to be effective.

Out of the corner of her eye Kari saw a dark haired man towering over a already severely wounded Arianna who had come back to join the fight, an axe raised high as she prepared to bring it down on the young witch.

Flashes of all her meetings with the young girl raised across her mind as cold dread sunk into her bones.

_"I saw a boy at the lake today, sister Kari. He gave me an iris and my heart was racing."_

_"Eww … what is in this stuff? Who was cooking today?"_

_"Don't splash me Mai. It's too cold."_

_"I saw him again. He wants me to meet his family. They live in Ryu's village and were some of the first to trade with us."_

_"This is my younger sister, sister Kari. My real sister. We're the only survivors of an attack on my home village."_

_"Stop fighting you two. I'll tell you a story if you behave."_

_"His eyes were so warm and open. I could see everything in them."_

_"As long as I'm with him then everything will be okay."_

_"His arms are so warm."_

_"His name is Takuya."_

_"I think I'm in love."_

Before Kari knew what she was doing, she found her blade sinking into the chest of the man, pulling back out again viciously. His face whitened in pain and he fell to his knees, choking on the blood flowing into his lungs because of the wound. Kari watched calmly in her blood-splattered clothes, as the man dropped his axe and spoke gurgled words. His eyes became dull and he finally collapsed on the floor.

The anger and adrenaline she felt vanished and she was left feeling numb, empty, and hollow, knowing it was better than the pain she would feel when it finally set in that she had taken a life. She had taken lives before but this was different. She had never wanted to kill anyone before, she had never enjoyed watching anyone die, and she always felt remorse for what she had done.

But she felt nothing.

At the thought of what the man would have done to Arianna anger had coursed through her veins. Anger at the man for the act he was about to commit, anger at her father for sending TK away, and anger at herself for leaving TK when she should have held onto him and never let go.

She had killed him and watched him die. And she enjoyed it.

She was a monster – just like her father.

"Keep your guard up," she whispered to Arianna, turning to the young girl who had frozen in place, slightly fearful of her friend. "You have to keep living for your sister and that boy of yours. Never leave his side. You'll regret it and you'll always live with that regret."

Kari looked away and, wiping the blade clean, walked back into the battle, broken on the inside and acknowledging the truth for the first time since she left The Oracle's cave.

Without TK she was nothing.

Without TK she was broken.

-

Mimi glared at Matt, pulling her reunited partner close to her. "You're nothing like TK."

He smirked. "We take after our father's."

Mimi scrutinised his face for a moment. "I'm guessing TK's was sweet and kind whilst yours was an arrogant, narcissistic, egoistic pig. It would explain a lot."

Matt gave a small laugh at her expense, before staring deeply into her eyes, leaning close enough to her face to make her heart beat fast, her thoughts to scramble, and her cheeks to colour. "My father was the attractive one."

It took her a moment to gather her thoughts. "Jerk," she hissed, hating the man all the more for playing with her (nonexistent) feelings. She paused a moment, before curiosity entered her eyes. "So what's the deal with you and TK? The two fathers thing? Did yours pop his clogs or something?" she asked bluntly.

"No, he's still very much alive," Matt said, looking away. "My father was away in the army and left my mother alone. She had an affair. She was pregnant when he came back and he knew that she had betrayed him. He forgave her, at least until he found out who the father was when TK was five and his real father came for him."

"Who was it?" asked Palmon, leaning forward.

"My uncle."

"TK's inbred?" questioned Mimi, realising why his father would have left his mother when he found out.

Matt growled at her angrily. "No! It was my father's brother. Not my mother's brother. That woman betrayed my father in the worst possible way." He sighed and began breathing deeply to calm himself down. He spoke up again after a while. "My father kicked my mother out of the house and told her to take TK with her. My uncle left her when he learnt that TK was a weak child. He was always ill when he was younger."

Gabumon, who Mimi had learnt was Matt's partner, carried on. "Matt and TK didn't see each other much after that. Matt's father didn't want him anywhere near his mother. But when he did go he learnt that TK was having a rough time. The other kids picked on him because of his parentage and the fact that he was a kitchen boy at the palace. Then, one day when TK was eight, Matt went to visit his brother and the first…"

"And the first thing he said to me was "I met an angel today". He looked so happy."

As he looked into the past Mimi could see a softer side to the man who had kidnapped her.

"It turned out that that angel was none other than Princess Hikari," smiled Matt, "The way he spoke of her was of the utmost adoration. She didn't see him for what his circumstance was but she saw him for who he was. And for that, if I ever meet her, I would risk my life to repay her for. TK was so broken and then she fixed him. She was his light. I'm not sure whether he ever realised he was in love with her or not but I know he gave her our mother's mirror."

"Huh?" questioned Mimi, feeling like she was missing the depth those words were meant to mean.

"It's a mirror that has been passed down for generations from mother to son and from son to the one that they "like the most" as my mother used to describe it to TK, of course being so naïve he took it as a friendship thing," he smirked.

"It was a blessing of the love felt between two people in my mother's family. As long as the mirror was intact then the love would remain so too. My mother said that was why things didn't work between my father and her. There had been no sons in her family and therefore had inherited the mirror. She believed by not handing the mirror on to my father cursed the love between them. She still loved him but when he went away she was lonely."

Mimi looked into his sad eyes and felt nothing more than the need to make him happy, her heart stirring in a way that it hadn't since Joe's brutal murder.

She wanted to curse violently at falling for her kidnapper but instead she did something unexpected.

She brought her lips to his.

Perhaps she didn't fear as much as she believed.

-

It happened so quickly that Kari barely had time to register what had happened at all. One moment Ryu was holding his own against a red haired mercenary with a scar tracing down his left cheek and the next he was on the ground with a blade pressed against his throat, a small trickle of blood running down his next where the skin had been pierced.

Miku froze for a fraction of a second, paralysed by fear, before calling out his name almost hysterically, forgetting her own fight. It was then that the mercenary smirked. He'd discovered their weakness.

Miku's weakness.

In that moment, where there was a high possibility that Ryu would die, all the feelings she had been trying to bury and ignore so she could make a good guardian came welling forcefully out to the surface. She cared for Ryu. He was the most important thing in the world to her. Because, and she could no longer deny it to herself, she loved him. But it was more than that; she was in love with him.

And because of that her sisters were in trouble because, no matter how strong their bond was and how much she would regret her actions afterwards, she would fight them herself if it meant saving that one special person to her.

It was exactly what granny Yaya had feared.

All froze on the battlefield.

"What do we hav' 'ere then?" asked the mercenary, dragging Ryu roughly to his feet and holding the blade to his throat. "The little witch girl is in love with the boy." His comrades laughed, before the man's face turned bitter and serious.

"So what are we going to do girlie?" he asked Miku, "Fight for those demons or fight for us?" He dragged the blade closer to Ryu's throat, the skin curving slightly under the pressure. "Guess which one saves lover boy here."

Miku looked at her sisters, tears falling rapidly from her tortured eyes. She looked between her sisters and Ryu. When she spoke her voice was barely a whisper, breaking slightly in remorse. "Sorry."

She walked backwards to the man's side, the betrayal breaking her heart. Her eyes turned to Kari, filled with pain and something else. It took her a second to realise it was understanding. "I know why you made that decision now. I can feel how hard it was for you. You chose TK, because he's that important to you. You chose for him to live. I understand that now. I'm so sorry. All of you."

A small blue orb appeared in her palm, expanding outwards like a bubble around her, the mercenary and Ryu. It faded away but Kari could still sense its presence there, a shield, protecting the enemy.

"Miku," whispered Arianna, who stood on the sidelines, leaning up against to support her while one of the witches trained in healing was fixing her wound. Arianna watched as her friend and mentor shakily raised her bow up, aiming at them.

Kari knew how much Arianna admired Miku. She had been a hero to most of the younger kids, who all wanted to be like her, especially Arianna. While she did not lie to Kari about her past, she did not answer questions about most of it, only that there was a lot of things she had to do to keep her sister safe that she did not wish to do.

It was Miku that saved her from that and now she was turning on them.

Kari felt sick, as the numb barrier that she had up, since she had mercilessly killed the mercenary in cold blood, fell and her feelings returned. Nausea was one of the most prominent. This was her fault. She had interrupted the peace of their village for her own selfish reasons. She'd caused so much pain, intentionally and not. And at that moment there was only one way to fix it.

She backed away until she was a safe distance away, with all eyes turned to her. She brought her ruby sword to her own throat. "You'll live this place now," she commanded in a shaky voice.

"Now why would we do that?" drawled one man, his eyes hazy from liquor.

"Because you need me alive." A round of laughter broke out among the enemy.

"Now why would we need you alive, missy? You're just a demon."

Gatomon looked up at her, realising what she was going to do, but said nothing. This was Kari's choice and no matter what she would follow. They'd go down the same path together.

Miku on the other hand did not take it quietly when comprehension dawned on her. "NO! Kari. You can't do that."

Kari smiled sadly, before turning to the red haired mercenary, "You need me alive because I doubt whoever is paying you to collect the princess would be too happy if she were dead."

The mercenary looked at her, trying to call her bluff. "You wouldn't do it. You don't have the guts."

She stared into his eyes, unwilling to be the first to break contact, as she slowly pressed the blade closer to her throat, making no hesitation to stop as a steam of crimson blood began trickle down her neck and along her already bloodstained sword, which seemed to glow menacingly at the contact of its owner's blood.

Her eyes remained locked with the mercenary until he looked away to the right, breaking the gaze. "Stop. We'll leave these devil spawn if you come with us. If you try anything and we will come back and finish our job. If you're lying we will come back and finish our job. If you so much of think of doing anything we will come back and finish our job. We'll be taking the man for a price of confidence. One wrong move and we will kill him."

Kari nodded, meeting Miku's eyes. The grief, fear and remorse were almost overwhelming. "I understand, so long as you release him and allow him to return safely once we are further away."

The mercenary thought for a moment. "They," he drawled in disgust, motioning to Kari's sisters, "Must not follow. Especially hot head here."

Miku looked pained, unable to bear the thought of leaving Ryu and being the reason Kari was turning herself in to men who were likely to kill her or sell her on again, treating her like a possession.

Kari gave a sad smile. "I understand. They will not follow," she said, turning to face her sisters – her eyes full of nothing but love for them. "It's time for me to face the path that I have been chosen to follow. I tried to once before but I ran away again. I can see the hurt and pain I've caused because of my selfish actions. I hope you forgive me for that."

She paused beside Miku as they crossed each other's path. "I'll look after him. I promise."

Tears fell from the stronger woman's eyes, as she nodded slightly. "I'm sorry I failed you."

Kari walked to the mercenary's side as they lowered their swords into a defensive position and marched her away from her family, Gatomon swiftly at her side.

"You did the right thing Kari."

She looked over her shoulder at her sisters. A few looked quite badly wounded but nothing was fatal.

"Yes, I know I did."

And for once, her words were true.

-

TK suddenly pulled a hand over Patamon's mouth and pulled them into the bushes.

"Whghhdghthghtror," came Patamon's muffled complaints.

"Shhh…" warned TK and removed his hand from Patamon's mouth.

"What did you do that for?" Patamon demanded quietly.

"Look," whispered TK.

A large group of men in ornate armour and large weapons slung over their shoulders were making their way through the forest. It took a second for TK to realise there was a girl with them and another second to realise it was Kari, her hands bound together in front of her and, as she was tugged along by the rope tied to her wrists, her eyes were defiant. His stomach instantly knotted with worry for her when he noticed her clothes were stained with blood. Was it her blood?

There was something different about her in her eyes. She seemed stronger but so broken at the same time.

He noticed one of the men was carrying her sword, examining it closely. "This will fetch a fair bit if we sell it to the highest bidder."

Kari's eyes hardened. "You're not selling my sword. It's the one of the only decent things my father has ever done for me. In fact it is the only decent thing. Besides, he belongs to someone else now."

TK was unsure of what to do. There were too many men for him to free her but he couldn't just do nothing.

"I'll sell your sword if I want to," snapped the red haired mercenary, who seemed to be the unofficial leader. He turned his back TK picked out the subtle flick of her wrist that he had grown familiar with during their journeys together. His eyes widened with fear and disbelief. Was she trying to get herself killed?

"The sword stays," yelled Kari, lunging at him, with the knife in her two hands glinting in the sunlight. At the last second the man caught her wrists and took the knife off her. "How many more weapons do you have on you princess?"

Kari's eyes burned up into his, wishing the man a painful death, and her mouth remained clamped shut.

"Do I need to ask you again or do I have to go back to your little demon family."

"They're not demons," hissed Kari and Gatomon at the same time.

"How many more weapons do you have?" Kari stopped in her tracks and removed her dagger from her ankle with great difficulty due to being bound.

"You have to untie my wrists for me to hand you the rest," Kari said testily. The man nodded and the rope fell from her hands. Kari tensed; ready to make a run for it when the mercenary reminded her once more of what would happen to her family, a family that TK didn't know of.

Her eyes remained defiant as ever but her shoulders slumped in defeat as Kari began emptying her sleeves of weapons, forming a large collection. "So who is it you're selling me to?" she asked, the bitterness of her words was evident, "It can't be much worse than who my father sold me off to."

The mercenary's lips curled up in a foul grin. "That's right. Princess," he taunted, "You were engaged to that Imprecatian prince. Maybe if we gave you back to them we'd get more money. They're seeking revenge for how you humiliated them."

A jolt went through TK's body as he realised the meaning in those words. Princess Hikari was meant to getting married to the Imprecation prince. Hikari. Kari. He cursed himself for not noticing the similarities before. The younger princess had even asked him to call her Kari.

How could have been oblivious to it all? There were so many signs. And, did she know that it had been him? She had to have known. Why didn't she tell him? Why had she run?

Kari pulled her wrists away from the man after he had bound them together again. "I'll never go back to them. I'd rather die," she spat.

The man chucked. TK grabbed the hilt of his sword. Nobody had the right to speak to Kari like that. "Leave her alone!"

Kari's eyes widened recognising the voice. Her head snapped in the direction of TK, her heart pounding fast as he lunged at the first man. She struggled against her bounds to go and help him as the men cornered him.

"Gatomon," she whispered, taking a step backwards, "Can you do anything about this rope." Her partner nodded and Kari knelt down as her partner began to work on the rope.

As soon as the rope had been cut through, she grabbed her sword and grabbed the bag containing her belongings and her weapons, sticking her hand in she pulled out several throwing blades, ignoring the pain from the cuts she had received from the other numerous weapons in the process as she targeted them at the men who were surrounding TK.

'To be with him', Kari thought as she swapped blows with one man, 'even if it's just for a little while, even if I run again, it'll be enough for me.'

She lunged through the men, beating them down with each swing of her sword, until she was at TK's side, where she belonged.

"I'm sorry TK," she apologised, wincing as her sword blocked one of the men's just an inch from her face.

TK blocked the lunge that one of the mercenaries sent at him with difficulty, feeling the end of the blade graze against his skin as he did so. "You're forgiven Princess," falling into the old habit of naming her by her title now that he knew who she was.

Kari gave a gasp of pain from behind TK but she remained steady on her feet, although her moves became staggered. "We have to get out of here," Kari told him, "Grab Patamon and close your eyes."

"But…" began TK.

"Trust me."

TK nodded and grabbed his partner, closing his eyes. A second later he felt Kari's warm hand on his own, surprise causing him to snap his eyes open. He instantly regretted it, watching his surroundings spin around him, changing into something different and causing him to feel nauseous.

Recovering a few moments later he realised how impossible it was what he was seeing. The clearing was so familiar, seeing as how it was where he had met Kari but that was just it. They were days away from where they had been before.

The sound of shattering glass pulled him back to his senses. He spun around to see Kari on her knees, her skin pale and clutching her side in agony, beside her were reflective shards from a mirror that had fallen to her feet.

"Princess!" he cried, dropping to her side and catching her by the shoulders as she slumped even closer to the floor. "What's wrong? Kari!"

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Gatomon shrinking, until a pale egg was left where the cat had been standing with Patamon shaking it vigorously.

Kari looked up into TK's worried eyes, her face scrunching up in pain, as she gripped her side tighter. "T…K…" she gasped brokenly, tears welling in her eyes.

"What happened Kari?"

"Too sl…slow," she managed to get out, lifting her hand from her side, revealing a deep wound, before gripping her side as another wave of pain hit her.

TK could barely think.

He had finally found the princess.

She was Kari.

She was the one he loved.

And, she was dying.

* * *

I'll be updating soon. Next chapter reveals whothe brunette is, for those of you who haven't already guessed but the chapter after that is going to take a little longer. There will be several major changes, like longer scenes and more action as well as the revealing of whether or not Matt knows about TK being the sacrifice.

Preview: _Patamon nodded and watched his partner run through the trees. He looked over to Kari, her lips were blue, and her skin white as a corpse and large purple bags had built up under her eyes. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he settled on the girl to keep her warm. Her pulse was so weak it was barely there. 'Please hurry TK. She doesn't have much time.'_

**Reviewers get an extended preview. First to review also gets the first scene from the chapter which will explain all about the mysterious Icerenia. Lovers of Rika from tamers will want to see that.**


	20. To Return

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

A/N: Sorry for the extremely late update. My laptop broke and I kept putting off getting a new one so I couldn't update the story because the document was stuck on a laptop that wouldn't work. Then my inner-author died when I got some bad news about my dad but it's akay now. It somehow got revived and has been shouting at me to update this. I opologise to those who didnt get thier previews. My younger siblings hacked into my email account and accidently deleted all my emails, even the one with the little reply links. I really need less obvious passwords. I need something completely out-there.

* * *

**Chapter 20 – To Return**

"Princess," begged TK, slapping her face gently as her eyes drifted shut. "I need you to stay awake. Can you do that for me?"

Her eyes fluttered slightly and she let out a little moan.

"Princess, open your eyes! You have to open your eyes. If you fall asleep now you'll die."

Kari seemed to listen to what he was saying and made an effort to try and keep her eyes open. TK watched her desperately, watching her take uneven, shallow breaths. "I have to dress your wound. So you need to keep your eyes open. Don't fall asleep, okay?"

Kari nodded weakly.

Setting the princess down carefully, so not to disturb the wound any further, TK pulled off his bag and pulled out a bottle with clear liquid inside and some bandages. Taking a small strip of the bandages he poured the liquid on it, silently thanking his older brother once for his wayward advice.

'_Whenever you go travelling TK, always remember to bring some form of alcohol with you – the stronger the better. It's good for cleaning wounds in an emergency but even better for drinking. That way you can get drunk and look responsible at the same time.'_

While TK had ignored Matt's advice on drinking the stuff, he always carried around a small bottle of vodka just in case there was an emergency.

Once he had covered the cloth in the temporary disinfectant he pushed Kari's top up slightly so he could examine the wound, wincing at the deepness and how quickly the blood seemed to be flowing from it.

"I need you to relax, this is going to hurt." Kari nodded and the cloth made contact with her skin. She let out a small scream at the burning pain and began to whimper. "Shhh … it's okay. You're going to be fine," TK comforted, as he cleaned the wound.

He did his best to ignore her cries as he went about his job, wincing as her hand grabbed his wrist, digging her nails in deeply enough to draw blood each time the pain increased.

He carefully lifted Kari slightly up onto his lap so he could wrap the bandages tightly around her midsection, frowning at how quickly it stained the bandages red. He wasn't a doctor but he knew he had to get her to one quickly.

Patamon watched silently from his perch on Gatomon's egg, trying to keep the egg that was fast becoming cold warm. Kari was dying, which meant her partner was too.

TK knew that he couldn't go find a doctor by himself. If something happened to Kari then Patamon wouldn't be able to deal with the situation whilst he was gone and even if it was Patamon who did go then it was almost impossible for him to find the way back through the forest, just like TK wouldn't be able to.

Waiting wasn't an option, since it was rare for anyone to pass through and if a doctor didn't see Kari soon then she would die. That meant he would have to carry her, which would not only take time but also disturb the wound, meaning she would have even less time to reach a doctor.

Carefully wrapping her shivering form in his cloak and lifting her into her arms, he made his decision.

"Wh-where are we going?" panted Kari through the pain, looking around in confusion.

"I have to get you to a doctor. I need to get you help."

Kari shook her head slightly. "N … no."

TK froze, his blue eyes pained. "I'm not going to let you die. Why can't you see? I can't let you die."

"St-stay."

"Don't. We have to get you to a doctor. Why can't you understand that? If we stay here you'll die. Don't you get that? You'll die. You die …" Treacherous tears rolled down his face as he looked down at he shaking princess, meeting her gaze.

Still she shook her head. "No … stay. The Oracle … said wait. He-help will come … she said. Promise, we'll stay."

"Please," begged TK, knowing that he could not deny the princess what she wished. "Please … don't make me do this."

"Promise."

TK gave a slight nod, walking over to a sheltered tree to put the princess down. "I promise."

Kari smiled slightly at him but he looked away. "You're too cold. I have to go gather firewood. Don't fall asleep whilst I'm gone."

Before she could process what he had said and protest he had left her side, Patamon joining her a moment later to keep an eye on her, as she watched sadly as TK disappeared into the trees.

"TK…"

-

The young girl, no older than fifteen, swept her long, dark hair away from her eyes as she looked at the border of the forest with wide eyes. She had finally made it. She could be free from Amara, free from the girl hunts that were taking place, and free to find her brother again.

Tears welled up in her eyes and a large pair of muscled arms gripped her around the waist protectively. "We made it," his gravely voice told her. "I promised you we would."

"I never doubted you Talin." The boy was barely a year older than her but he was already larger than most men. His skin had a deep red colouration to it, depicting his native heritage.

He originally came from Sangrar, a small country to the east of Amara but had moved to Amara when he was six because of his father had been offered a good deal to set up his shop in Suma, Alice's home village. He had only been living in Suma a week when he met Alice, or rather Alice met him.

Her five-year-old self had immediately admired the boy and decided that he would be her best friend – not that he complained, not that she gave him a chance to. They had been together ever since.

"Come on Alice," Talin warned her, "The guards will be passing soon. We have to go. You need to get to the Baboa Mountains. That's where your brother said he was needed right?"

The girl nodded. "That's where we'll be needed too. I want to fight."

Talin frowned. "You know I don't want you to do that. You could get hurt."

She pouted. "So could you."

"But I love you more."

"Impossible."

"Stubborn brat."

"Pig headed walrus."

"Old goat."

"Slimy Numemon."

"Ouch," the boy faked hurt, clutching his heart. "That was a good one."

"I know," she smiled, gazing up into his deep mahogany eyes.

"You're so wonderful," he whispered, stroking her fringe out of her face so he could kiss her forehead. "It's no wonder I'm going to marry you one day."

His words came as no surprise to either of them. After they first kissed some time after Alice's brother left, she had immediately informed him that she was the only one he was going to be married to from that moment on – not that she gave him a chance to complain, not that he would have wanted to.

"I get to be the one who tells Ken though," Alice decided. "He can be a bit overprotective at times and he doesn't seem to like you very much."

Talin laughed at the worry in her eyes, however he knew the reason Ken didn't like him. Somehow the boy knew that Talin was the one who'd steal his sister away from him one day.

"Shut up Tal," growled Alice.

"Whatever you say. Now let's go. Our partners have already got a good start on us."

"I'll still beat you though," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him and running into the forest, falling on her face as she tripped.

Talin shook his head in amusement at his future fiancé's clumsiness but at the same time he couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for her safety.

"That girl's going to be the death of me," he muttered, following after her because, despite how annoying she could be at time, he knew he'd follow her to the ends of the earth and back again if he had to.

-

Kari lay asleep on TK's lap, her breathing shallow but almost even. She had fallen asleep a while ago and TK had been unable to wake her and he was falling asleep himself. He wasn't sure how long it had been since they arrived at the clearing but the sun had set and risen again.

He gazed over at Patamon, who lay sleeping on Gatomon's egg. As Kari got worse, so did the egg's condition. Where it had simply been too cold before, as Kari's condition worsened, pale, purplish vein-like markings had spread along the shell.

Kari let a little whimper as she shifted in her sleep, attracting TK's attention. He looked at her with tired eyes and bit his lip remorsefully. The way she looked … she would be dead before any help arrived.

Her skin had drained of any colour that it usually contained, leaving her ashen. Her lips were tinted blue, slightly parted for her shallow breaths. Her hair was limp and messy, half in the braid she usually wore and half out.

It was wrong seeing her like that. The princess may not have noticed it but whenever her hair was slightly out of place then she would spend the rest of the day stroking it, as if it would flatten the fault out and make it go away. Then she would, without fail, redo her hair when she woke up and before she went to bed.

Carefully, so not to disturb her, he carefully undid the braid and ran his hand through the limp cinnamon strands in an attempt to get of the knots, smiling slightly as Kari relaxed towards the movement, until the light of the fire illuminated her pallid face and the dark bags beneath her eyes.

"I should have taken you to a doctor," he said softly.

A moment later she mumbled the negative in her sleep. It was a subconscious action after he had once more tried to convince her to let him take her to a doctor.

Slowly his eyes began to drift shut too as the hours passed until he could hear the shouts and clash of metal from his approaching dreams. It took him a moment to realise that the sounds were not from his dreams at all but from further into the forest.

It would be a risk to bring them to the princess, whoever they were. They could kill the princess themselves but at this point, they were her only hope of survival. He needed help. He couldn't be picky about the form it came in.

Carefully he lifted the princess up and rested her against a tree and looked at her pale form. He rested his palm on her clammy cheek, watching her eyelids flutter slightly.

"You better not give up on me now, princess. I won't loose you again." Without realising what he was doing he brushed his lips against hers, before pulling back startled. He turned around and rushed over to his partner.

"Patamon, wake up." The small digimon looked up tiredly but alert. "Patamon, there's people in the forest. I need you to watch Kari whilst I get help.

TK lifted both Patamon and Gatomon's egg up and placed them down next to Kari, knowing his partner needed to help his friend too.

"Try to wake her whilst I'm gone."

Patamon nodded and watched his partner run through the trees. He looked over to Kari, her lips were blue, and her skin white as a corpse and large purple bags had built up under her eyes. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he settled on the girl to keep her warm. Her pulse was so weak it was barely there. 'Please hurry TK. She doesn't have much time.'

-

"Talin," screamed Alice as he locked blades with the man they had stumbled upon. They weren't sure if they were on their side or not and when her best friend had drawn his sword defensively it had triggered a fight.

The woman the man had been travelling called out his name like her. She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach when she realised that one or both of them could someone that they cared about in this fight. They could lose it all in a matter of seconds.

"Stop it! Please stop it!"

The tears poured down her cheeks. The digimon waited by the sidelines, knowing that it was not their battle to interfere in. They would fight if their partner's life was seriously threatened but not a moment before.

Alice tried to work out the chances of her and Talin winning if it came to that pint. At first glance they would, having two champion digimon against two rookies but judging from the man's confidence there was a chance that they could digivolve, in which case they may not the advantage that she believed.

The woman on the other side of the fight seemed to be watching with the same amount of fear.

"Whose side are you on," demanded Talin, pushing his blade closer to the stranger.

The stranger scoffed, skilfully twisting his sword so that Talin's was forced into submission so he was now the one in control. "Sides? You make this sound like a game. This is war. Sides don't matter, only surviving."

Talin struggled against the force pushing his own sword towards him. He pulled back as they dealt more blows. The man's blade caught his hand, sending his sword flying backwards across the ground.

The man placed the tip of his blade to Talin's throat, staring down at him with cold eyes. The digimon tensed, ready to join the fight. "State your intentions."

Talin stared up at him defiantly.

"Matt!" cried a new voice, masculine through the trees. A boy a few years older than himself and bearing great resemblance to the man who had attacked him burst through the trees.

"TK," cried someone else, relieved. It took a moment for Talin to realise that it had been Alice and even longer for him to vaguely recall the second blonde as someone he had met once or twice at Alice's house. However, he had never really spoken to the boy, seeing as he was more Ken's friend than anything.

"Alice?" TK asked, as if making sure that whom he was seeing was really there. "Alice," he said desperately, "My friend – the princess – she needs your help. You're a healer."

Alice nodded. She had the gift of healing as long as she could remember. Her brother had it too but hadn't bothered to learn how to use it, seeing how their mother died because of it. She hadn't mastered it yet and she wasn't able to do much for a few things and Talin wouldn't allow her to attempt others – but she knew she had to help.

"Where is she?"

"Alice," Talin said quietly as he returned to her side. She shook his head, telling him with her eyes not to try and stop her. He nodded reluctantly but stood just a little closer.

"This way," he said, turning back through the forest leaving the former enemies to follow. She followed, giving one last dirty look at whom she assumed was TK's brother.

By the time they were back Kari's condition had changed dramatically. Her breath was heavy and laboured and she shifted in pain, sweat coating her brow. Gatomon's egg was slowly becoming transparent at her side.

Patamon looked up at TK with panicked eyes. "She won't wake up TK. I've tried everything. Why won't she wake up?"

"Let me see her," Alice commanded, dropping to the princess's side. She undid the bloodstained bandages and examined the wound carefully. She ran her hands gently along Kari's wound. "This is really deep, really deep. What happened?"

"There were just so many of them. I didn't even realise she was wounded until we got away."

Alice looked down at the wound and a flicker of fear crossed her features, remembering a time long ago, when she was only little, when her mother was presented with a person in a similar condition to heal. "I've never had to work with a wound of this magnitude before," she whispered.

"Alice," Talin said, his voice slightly pained, with a flicker of guilt, the dark haired girl ignored him.

"I need to make eye contact with her if I'm to heal her," she said, beginning to shake her.

As the princess's eyelids began to flutter, Alice placed her fingers on the girl's temples and the moment her ruby eyes opened both stiffened and froze.

Kari stared into the eyes above her. The dark eyes had so many depths to them. Kari found herself falling further and further into them until all she could see was her wound reflected clearly in the girl's eyes.

The deeper she stared the clearer she could see that the wound wasn't nearly as bad as she thought. It hadn't gone as deep as she had thought. It was a simple flesh wound; it nothing a bit of time couldn't heal on its own

Outside of the connection of their minds, the odd array of travellers watched in morbid fascination as pink strands of tissue reached out from each side of the gaping hole in the princess's side and connected in the centre, pulling the two sides together.

Alice gasped slightly as her control slipped and Kari watched as the flesh wound began to deepen and unravel, crying out as sharp pains filled her side once more.

Talin spotted the patch of blood blossoming on Alice immediately. "Alice. It's over. Pull out now."

Alice nodded, collapsing weakly into Talin's arms the moment she broke eye contact, Kari falling unconscious as she did so. Setting Alice down, Talin carefully pushed the bottom of her shirt up, from the sides Mimi gasped.

"That … that looks like the princess's wound." It was almost true. It was the same place and shape as Kari's wound only much further along in the healing process.

A look of guilt took over TK's slightly relieved face. "I shouldn't have asked you to do that."

"No, you shouldn't have," Talin said angrily.

"I don't understand," said Palmon.

"Alice has the gift of healing," Talin spoke quietly. "She can show others how their body is supposed to be but if she looses control, whatever she tried to cure begins to revert, her own body following its lead."

"My mother died because she lost control," Alice said quietly, "She knew she couldn't heal such wounds but she tried anyway. She bled to death with her patient."

"Why would she do something like that?" asked Mimi.

Tears steadily filled Alice's eyes. "It was my father." She brushed the tears away and looked back at Kari. "I wasn't strong enough to complete it. She won't die from that wound just yet but she needs to get to a doctor soon. She needs stitches and proper medical attention."

Alice could have attempted to heal her once more but knew Talin wouldn't let her. He had been there when her mother died because of her gift and from the moment he had discovered Alice had the same gift it had been his deepest fear that she would die the same way.

Mimi stepped forward nervously. "I can do stitches if you need me to. Shin…Shin always made me fix up his men back at the Tavern after Joe died."

TK smiled gratefully as Mimi dived into the pouch she kept on her at all times. She pulled out a needle and some thread, preparing it for use. She held the needle to the dying fire to burn away the germs.

This will hurt," she warned. TK had to look away as she dug the needle into the princess's flesh. He was fine with the idea of bloody battles and sword fights but he could never handle the idea of stitches, being sewn up like some old T-shirt. The thought alone made him shudder, especially when it was Kari.

It took Mimi ten minutes to do carefully and to be truthful she was glad for the distraction between the usual tension between her and Matt. Ever since she kissed him it ha been extremely awkward.

The man had kissed her back before pushing her away, telling her not to do something like that again. It was the silence that was the worst, that and the way he watched her as if he really did want to kiss her again.

She was so confused and embarrassed about everything and so tended to avoid conversation with him most the time, along with eye contact. Actually any contact at all.

Palmon said that it was cowardly. She just didn't want her heart broken again.

She flinched slightly as Matt spoke from right behind her as she finished the stitches. "We should rest a bit. Tomorrow we need to take her somewhere she can heal safely. There aren't many places where she can do that anymore. You need to think about where we should go."

He left them to sit little way away, looking pointedly at the others and moments later TK was alone with Kari, who was watching him with lidded eyes. "Where … will we go?" she asked eventually, her voice still weak.

Her eyes looked at him sadly and for some reason he felt as if she was asking him more than just where she was going to be taken to be healed and rest. There was a decision he was about to make, one that he didn't know what the choices were. How was he supposed to choose the right one?

"You will be safe at the crystal palace. And if I wish to help people, I have to be with the northern elves."

Kari nodded sadly and rested her hand on his cheek, pulling his face close before she whispered something in his ear that was inaudible to the rest of the group.

TK rested his hand on hers, the princess's eyes widening slightly. "Then we'll just have to make the most of the time we have before we part again," he replied softly.

Gently, he sat down beside her and pulling their hand onto his lap as she slid her head down onto his shoulder. Her breathing evened up until she fell asleep, her warming forehead indicating the fever that was beginning to develop.

TK smiled gently at her but there was sadness in his eyes.

-

Minutes rolled into hours and hours rolled into days as the unlikely band of people travelled along; a princess, a kitchen boy, a healer, the son of a blacksmith, a barmaid, and, a treasure hunter for the king. They were all there, brought together by the crossing of paths.

They were heading to the Baboa Mountains to join the resistance, as Alice and Talin explained it was beginning to be called. 'Rebel' forces were gathering there after rumours had gathered that the Northern elves were about to go to war with Amara.

King Susumu currently had spies around the border trying to either confirm or deny those rumours. The Northern Elves were a powerful force, both in military strength and many other countries of the kingdom of the old.

Kari spent most of the journey fading in and out of consciousness and lucidity, as her fever increased to a worrying temperature. At some points she'd be having highly intellectual conversations with Matt, partly as he was avoiding Mimi like she him still, and at other points she would be singing about secret passageways to a tower and something hidden behind the veil.

Nyaromon, who had since come out of her egg and digivolved multiple times to Patamon's relief, just smiled at this with a hidden twinkle in her eyes, as she bounced along behind Leomon, Alice's partner who had taken it upon himself to carry the delusional princess.

TK also followed closely, concerned for the girl's welfare but also amused at the arguments between Leomon and Ogremon, who was Talin's partner. While the two bickered constantly it was easy to tell that, while they would never admit it in a million years, they were actually good friends.

They were very much like their partners in their constant arguing and playful sniping of the other.

Mimi watched Matt from afar as he got into another long conversation with his younger brother, as they caught up in what was happening in each other's lives, having not seen each other in a while.

Matt seemed frustrated about something while TK was sympathetic looking.

"You know, it's rude to listen to peoples' private conversations," stated Kari from behind her, causing her to jump in surprise. She had not realised that the princess was awake once more.

"I'm not listening," Mimi said, her face bright red. "Besides … it's not like I can hear the jerk from here."

Kari smiled gently, turning her head to the side slightly. "You like him."

"I do not," protested Mimi.

"Mmhmm," hummed Kari disbelievingly.

"I don't. Besides … I barely know him."

"You know enough," replied the princess.

"It doesn't matter," Mimi said bitterly, "he rejected me anyway,"

"He doesn't know what he's missing," Palmon chipped in. "He's lucky you even looked your way."

"He likes you though," Kari said softly.

"He doesn't. He barely speaks to me."

Palmon snorted. "That's because you're both avoiding each other." Mimi's faced tinged pink.

"He does. I can see it. You should talk to him though."

"Why should I. He's obviously made his feeling on the matter clear."

"He probably has his reasons. If you don't talk to him then you'll regret it eventually." She looked over to Alice and Talin, who were having another one of their 'I bet I can punch you harder' games. Talin was being slightly gentler, since Alice's wound hadn't completely healed yet.

"If they had waited to tell each other how they felt then they wouldn't be this happy. They would be waiting awkwardly wondering when the perfect moment was, thinking about it too hard that they'd miss it when it came."

Mimi nodded slightly in understanding but was unconvinced. "You're being a tad hypocritical, don't you think? What about you and TK?"

Kari's gaze softened as she looked over at the boy. "He knows."

"He does?" Mimi asked surprised.

Kari nodded gently. "He does," she confirmed but did not elaborate further. "Talk to him."

Mimi frowned before nodding minutely. "I'll think about it."

Kari smiled before her eyes began to drift shut again.

-

Yamato "Matt" Ishida had a problem, one that went by the name of Mimi Tachikawa. It was bad enough when she wasn't speaking to him but, after finding himself cornered by the woman, he decided that he preferred it that way.

She was stubborn and her enraged expression always managed to break away her timid exterior caused by the years working for Shin Kido, bringing back the woman that Joe had often talked about to him.

Which was exactly why she was a problem.

He liked her. He couldn't deny that. She had a fiery temperament and didn't take to being pushed around and then there was the way her nose crinkled up when she was angry. It was adorable, something he would never say out loud.

"Why do you keep pushing me away?" she demanded quite loudly, causing most of the others, aside from the sleeping Kari, to look over.

"Why do you insist on trying to be with me?"

"Can't I just like you, okay?"

Matt groaned. "No it's not okay. It's so far from okay that it's in a whole other galaxy. I should have just let someone else take this job when I found out you were going to be involved."

Mimi froze, tears welling up in her eyes. "You don't want me?"

"Argh!" He tugged at his blonde hair in frustration. "Of course I want you. That's what is so wrong. You're Joe's wife. Aside from Yagami he was my best friend. If I was with you, then it would be like betraying him."

Mimi shook her head. "Joe wouldn't have seen it like that. All he ever wanted was for me to be happy. He wouldn't have minded if it was with you or anyone else, just so long as I was happy. You're so stupid if you think he would have cared about something as trivial –"

Matt's lips crashed into hers as he pulled close and Mimi couldn't help but smirk against his lip, after all, Mimi did like to win.

A cough from behind reminded them that they weren't alone.

"Well that was…unexpected," commented Ogremon, trying to figure out where that came from. He barely knew the two and they hadn't spoken to each other apart from when absolutely necessary since they met.

"Unexpected my a…rear end!" exclaimed Alice dramatically, "They've been waiting to snog each others faces off for days!"

The pair in question reddened dramatically. "Sorry," Talin said, taking the girl's hand in his own. "She gets quite excitable."

"Too right I do," agreed Alice, pumping her fist into the air. "Now lets get going before the volcano of sexual frustration erupts once again between Matt and Mimi because the chasm of never ending doom is just around the corner." She turned without another word, dragging Talin behind her, who smiled sheepishly at the rest.

"She also has a knack for crudely stating the obvious as well," commented Leomon, stroking the back of his mane.

Mimi huffed indignantly, picking up her bag and stalking off behind them, before turning back and facing them. "And there is no volcano of sexual frustration thank you very much."

Kari, who had been woken by the commotion, looked up. "So what's this 'chasm of never ending doom' Alice was speaking of?" she asked, noticing for the first time they were in a small mountainous valley.

TK looked at her worriedly as shivered. Her eyes unfocused were showing her half-asleep state.

"You're tired. Rest a bit more."

Kari nodded tiredly, curling up into Leomon's arms. Had it been anyone else to suggest it she probably would have protested but, after everything they had been through, she trusted TK. She didn't have to be strong all the time with him.

She smiled slightly at the ruby sword hanging from TK's waist. She finally had a chance to give it to him and explain about why she had been captured in the first place a couple of days ago. He had protested at first but she stood by her deal.

Things started to go hazy around her as she once again slipped into fevered dreams.

There was a tower back in the palace at Amara. She was climbing up the spiral staircase with Nyaromon. Nobody was supposed to know. The tower was secret. She wasn't allowed to speak about it. There was a boy, coming down the stairs, his dark hair half covering his glasses and he had a white seal like digimon beside him.

They didn't talk though…it was forbidden, she recalled.

She travelled further up the staircase but there was only a small room with tapestries. She moved to one that reminded her of a veil and pulled it back, revealing a heavy wooden door. She lifted the heavy handle and…

Everything faded as she felt an icy chill run down her forehead, opening her eyes she saw TK holding a damp cloth to her head. He smiled gently, seeing her awaken, and gently lay his hand against her cheek

"TK?" she asked.

"You're burning up again."

She nodded weakly, leaning into his touch as she fell back asleep.

-

As Kari began to stir her body was taut and on edge but her senses were still clouded from the sleep.

It was the tower again. The veil… There was something hidden behind the veil. A secret. Nobody was allowed to know. It was dangerous. For what or for whom though? She heard a noise, although it seemed distant. It recognised it as the same noise that woke her up.

Someone was screaming.

"Take her," commanded a gruff voice. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her, colder than the first.

"Kari wake up," another voice urged, shaking her. "Wake up."

She opened her eyes drowsily and saw wrinkles of worry and concern in TK's face.

"Kari, can you stand?" He looked over his shoulder nervously. She nodded, as he helped him to his feet.

"Howling blaster!"

Her eyes widened, as she heard a loud crack of breaking rock. "What's happening?" she questioned, her senses quickly returning to her. The digimon were locked in battle with other digimon she had never seen before and Matt and Talin were currently clashing swords with men, who had their faces hidden by bandanas.

"Bandits," hissed TK.

"Boom Bubble," shouted Patamon, using the blast of air to drive away several fiery blasts.

"Where are we?" Kari asked, realising that they were on a thin, rocky pathway, no more than two metres wide in the best places, spreading between two towering mountain sides, with deep chasms on either side that were concealed in cloud to prevent her from seeing how far down it went.

"Bandit Pass," TK said, drawing the ruby sword, "It's the quickest way through the mountains but also the most dangerous and there are bandits hidden everywhere, waiting to take advantage that we only have two options of which way to run."

Without anyone to prevent her, she grabbed her bow and aimed at one of the men standing further away and the others couldn't reach. She stood firmly as a wave of dizziness came over her as a glowing blue circle of runes appeared at her feet and her arrow glowed brightly.

Releasing the arrow, it hit the feet of the man, resulting in an explosion that crumbled away the rock he was standing on and sending him screaming into the chasm.

Her knees gave way beneath her due to exhaustion and she pulled Nyaromon into her arms. She closed her eyes as dizziness set in strongly, making her unable to tell which side of her the shouts and clashes of swords and growls of digimon.

"Nyaromon," she whispered, clutching the cat to her chest, "Take my strength." Her hand slowed slightly white, before it spread into the digimon.

The slowing shape of her partner changed a couple of times before it finished. Kari slumped slightly from the exertion it had taken to perform the simple energy transfer spell she had learned whilst with the witches.

"Idiot," scolded Gatomon, her voice full of concern, "You need that energy."

"I do not," protested Kari, staggering to her feet to prove her point.

"KARI!" screamed TK.

The princess turned to see a large rock flying in her direction. Gatomon leapt in front of her, taking the full force of the blow, but the impact was strong enough to knock the pair back several feet. Her foot stumbled against the loose rocks at the side of the narrow path, before she fell backwards, clutching Gatomon to her chest, and tumbled into the abyss below and through the clouds.

-

TK sat numb in his room at the house they were staying in. They arrived a few hours before, after finally making it out of the mountain pass. He didn't care though. Kari was gone. He hadn't been able to save her, protect her when she needed it, as he had always promised her he would.

There wasn't any possibility that she could have survived the fall and if they went to retrieve her body there would have been nothing there, having been taken by the animals that ravaged the land below, preying on the victims of the bandits that were disposed of over the edge of the cliff.

Kari was gone. He was inconsolable. Patamon, who was currently in another room with the others, knew better than to try to talk him out of his depression, having lost his friend as well.

Misery hung over the group like a dark cloud. They had taken out the initial anger on the bandit, laying them to waste in no time, but it did nothing to bring the princess back. Tears came to TK's eyes at the bare thought.

He stood and walked to the bathroom, dipping his hands in the basin of cold water and running it over his face, hoping to wash away the pain. The water slipping through his fingers only served to remind him of Kari though, slipping away so easily.

He shrank down to the floor and for the first time since he lost Kari he let the tears flow, sobbing in private. He wasn't sure how long he remained that way but when he went to move his joints were stiff.

Slowly he made his way back to his bedroom. There was a crash from his side and turned just in time to see a figure with dark eyes, hidden by their brown hair staring at him from under a hood, his digimon waiting outside the window for him, before they both vanished into the darkness.

TK turned to his bed, thinking it was just a trick of the light as he was exhausted; when his eyes landed on something on the bed. Several loose beads and a feather that the princess usually wore in her hair lay on a small white cloth along with a silver dagger.

"Kari," he whispered, running back to the window where he had seen the man but he was gone.

He looked back at the collection of beads and a dagger on his bed, allowing himself hope that she may have survived. It was impossible, against all the laws that there were but then again …

She never had cared that much for the rules.

-

Kari groaned, rolling onto her side as pain coursed through her body despite the soft bedding she was lying on. Her eyes snapped open at the thought; before she slammed them shut again as the light burnt them.

She felt her heart beat fast as she thought about things. The bedding was wrong. It wasn't the hard floor, softened slightly with blankets that she was used to when TK had been taking her back to the Baboa Mountains or Leomon's soft but awkward arms. She was in a bed.

Why was she in a bed?

She tried to think back. They had been ambushed. She had tried to help. Then…then there was the cliff. She had fallen.

She groaned, a sinking realisation coming over her. "I'm dead aren't I?"

"Not quite."

She jumped, wincing as flames of pain shot through her body.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" the voice ask, it was masculine and unfamiliar. Never a good sign.

She slowly opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light. She could faintly make out a brown mess of hair, tinted red as the sun shone through the window on it. Large dark brown eyes stared into her own, probably bloodshot, ruby eyes. She gripped the sheets tighter as his smiling face came into view,

"Who are you?" she demanded.

He smiled, holding out his hand, "Davis."

Kari shook it uncertainly, as she became more and more aware of her surroundings. She was in a sunny yellow room with a single wooden door leading out of the room. The wooden floorboards were swept clean but lacked polish.

There was a single bedside table, where her belongings had been placed, and she was currently lying in a small white bed. Sun came in through a small, square window but aside from that the small room was bare. However, there was something missing.

"Where's Gatomon?"

He gave a goofy grin. "Salamon is in the kitchen with Veemon. She woke up a couple of hours ago."

"Why aren't I dead?"

Him gave a short laugh. "I'm not the one who should answer that."

She frowned. What could that mean?

"Anyway," Davis continued, "Do you need anything to eat. I mean you have been out for just over a day."

Kari was about to refuse, still wary of the stranger, when her stomach growled. She flushed bright pink in embarrassment. "Thank you. That'd be nice."

"Good," he replied, "I'll fry up some sausages, hopefully my brother will be back before me and Veemon burn them," he gave a grin that covered half his face before disappearing out the door.

Kari rested her eyes slightly, fighting to stay awake as exhaustion took over her. It was a bad idea to fall asleep now in a strange place where the ambiguous answers had just created more questions.

'But if I just close them for one minute then I'll be wide awake', she argued with herself, letting her eyelids slump closer slightly.

"How is she?" a voice asked from somewhere distant. She tried to drown it out. She had been having a wonderful dream. She felt like she was a thousand miles away. There were people everywhere, celebrating something…freedom? There was dancing and singing and people of every race where freely hugging each other like long lost family. They were different but they were still brothers, sisters, and cousins. They were family.

There had been a boy – no a man – by the edge of the fire, his soft blonde hair reflecting the glow of the fire. He looked sad, like someone who had lost something dear to him, and in the events of the celebration he was left alone.

She felt the need to call out to him, like she had been searching for him, but she couldn't understand why that was. She knew nothing of the man yet deep inside she felt like she knew everything.

He looked over to her and he looked confused but at the same time his face lit up, years washing away from his face. He called out to her, using a name that felt familiar and strange at the same time. She reached out to touch him, feeling the need to tangle her hands in his hair but she had been pulled away, something was stopping her from being with him …

"Kari?" asked someone. She scrunched her eyes up. She didn't want to wake up. She had to reach the blonde man.

"Shhh…why are you doing that? You'll wake her," said a second voice, full of concern and annoyance. The words seemed to float around the air.

Kari groaned as a wave of pain assaulted her. "I think she's waking up," the first voice replied. It sounded slightly younger and not a deep as the second.

"This is your fault. You were being so noisy."

Kari's eyes fluttered slightly as she tried to open them. They felt so heavy and it took a few seconds. She took in her surroundings as they became clearer. She was in a small cottage with sunny yellow walls. A boy her age with brown hair, coloured slightly red, was looking down at her with curiosity, a blue digimon on his shoulder.

'Davis', she remembered, 'and that must be Veemon.'

A goofy grin, almost identical to his partner's, appeared in the blue digimon's face, as he answered her question before she even thought about it consciously. "She's in the kitchen."

"Still."

"She's talking to an old friend now…" he replied rather cryptically.

A second man appeared before her, a serene smile crossing his expression. He looked to be about nineteen. His brown hair was bushy around him. "I'm glad you're awake. I've been worried."

Kari nodded, trying to work out what she found so familiar about him and felt a jolt run through her body as she remembered that he was the man that had been trying to protect her when the seal had been placed on her arm but there was something else.

She looked into his warm chocolaty eyes and smiled as she came across a playful and mischievous glint behind all the concern.

As she recognised it, it was like a door had been opened in her mind. She felt tears well up in her eyes at the memories but not because they were sad. She was crying because they were happy, mostly anyway. "You came and found me…"

"You remember?" Kari nodded, barely aware of Davis and Veemon leaving to give them some privacy.

"I can't believe I forgot. How could they have done that to me?"

Vague memories of being taken by her father to their master Sealer, her memories being taken, being taken regularly to keep the seal strong. However, ever since she escaped, that seal had been weakening, things had been slipping through, trying to tell her things her conscious mind couldn't hear.

The brown haired man frowned slightly as he looked at her. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, ignoring the pain it caused. "It's not your fault. You only ever wanted what was best for me. So…what have you been doing?" she felt awkward. What if he was perfectly happy without her? What if he didn't want her there and only his honour to fulfil his promise to her made him search for her? What if…?

The man frowned. "I know that look. You think I don't want you here don't you?"

"I'm intruding on your life."

"That could never happen."

She opened her mouth to say something but no words came under his intense gaze.

He smiled and answered her previous question. "I found a brother in Davis here. He gave me food when I first left and had nowhere to go. I stayed with him and when his mother died a few years later I went back to the palace."

Her look pierced trough him.

He smiled slightly, although his eyes were sad. "I had to see for myself that you were okay but … when you saw me again, you didn't recognise me. I knew what they had done to your memories then."

"Davis and I stayed with the southern Elves for a while. I thought it would be a good idea, getting to know them because of a deal I made but when the war broke out I knew it was time to find you. I missed you Hikari."

She smiled warmly as he wrapped an arm around her. "I missed you too, Tai, my brother.


	21. To Decide

Summary: When the princess runs away a war begins in which all sides want her dead or as a weapon. But Kari's heart is torn between her freedom and doing the right thing. With dangers at every turn the time to choose draws close and she's not ready.

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, its characters, or anything relating the the franchise.

A/N: Sorry it took so long. I have no excuse except that I was working on a lot of plot bunnies that may never see the light of fanfiction.

* * *

**Chapter 21 – To Decide**

-

_Twelve years earlier_

-

_Ten-year-old Joe Kido made sure nobody was near the hall in the palace like always before he pulled the edge of a large portrait of the King's great grandfather, swinging it on hidden hinges and revealing a dark passage behind, looking over his shoulder one more time he slipped in and pulled the metal handle of the door to close the passage up, like it had never been there – like he had never been there._

_That was one of the reasons he had to leave his partner behind. Gomamon was far too noisy to be trusted on such a task; despite the fact he hated leaving the seal like digimon behind._

_He would take Gomamon with him occasionally but there were times, like now when the castle was preparing for a festival and there were people everywhere, when he could not._

_The tunnel was narrow and dark. He couldn't see anything but if he could then the passage would be no taller than five foot high and about three foot wide in most places, although it did get narrower the further on he went._

_He couldn't help feel claustrophobic in the small space. It felt as if the earth could crumble down on him at any time. He was used to it though. He had travelled regularly through the hidden tunnel for the last two years._

_He was only one of three people who knew of it. Out of those he was the only civilian. The king and queen of Amara were the only others. The architect of the passage was long dead, killed two days after the completion to ensure the secrecy of the passage._

_After all, it was the only unguarded passage in and out of the castle and took him straight into the heart of the town._

_Dim light began to creep into the tunnel and Joe knew he was nearing the exit. His next steps became cautious, knowing to expect hidden steps. He had stumbled over them on countless occasions and it was dangerous to risk injuring himself in the tunnel._

_If he couldn't move then he'd never leave again and it could be years until his body were discovered, possibly even hundreds._

_Shivering at the thought, he pushed the ceiling, which happened to be a wooden hatch, upwards slightly. Scanning his eyes through the small crack he determined no one was in the alley it lead into and lifted it completely, slipping out before anyone noticed._

_Making sure his pouch of money was close to his person; Joe ventured out into the busy market streets of the city and remembered his job. Two years ago he had been sitting in one of the back alleys with no money and in ragged clothing._

_It wasn't long before a woman, who although dressed like an ordinary peasant couldn't hide higher class from his trained eyes, offered him a job in return for shelter and food. He accepted, as it had been planned._

_When Joe was a baby and his brother Shin was six their parents had been brutally attacked and murdered. Shin was witness to the event and it had left him traumatised in a way that Joe knew he would never recover._

_King Ashnark of the Northern Elves had taken them in and it had been early in his childhood when Joe had been introduced to the prophecy that would change the world as he knew it. Everyone had a part to play. Mostly everyone had small parts, although some had larger parts to play._

_The prophecy was cruel and unkind to some, especially the princess, but if there was ever to be peace sacrifices had to be made – his own included. It was strange, knowing exactly how you were going to die, even more so for a young child._

_In some ways he felt lucky, even though he would die young he now had the chance to live as much of that life as possible. He knew he would be leaving the palace soon to return to the Northern elves, his task set by the king to help fulfil the prophecy was almost over._

_Two years ago he was abandoned deliberately and knowingly so that the queen would pick him out as the carer of her young son. Rumour had been spread that he had been a stillborn after threat son the unborn heir had been made and he would be revealed as soon as he was old enough to take the throne or upon the king's death._

_The prince was getting older though and they needed someone who would go unnoticed in the palace to supervise the young prince and bring him meals, someone like him. He wouldn't be missed from the streets and there was no one to question where he went._

_King Ashnark knew that they would find him and he also knew that to make sure the prophecy could be fulfilled Joe needed to be there. He'd plant the thoughts of freedom into Prince Taichi's head and eventually help him escape with Korromon. If he did that then the princess was sure to follow._

_She had to follow._

_Sometimes he felt guilty about manipulating everyone, knowing the pain that they would go through. He was young but he was far from stupid. There would be pain – for the prince, for the princess, and for anyone that got too close to them. _

_He knew that there would be death – and lots of it at that – in the future he was helping to create. However he also knew that if he didn't choose this future then the other choice was much worse._

_Taichi would grow up angry at his parents … at the world, caring only for the timid and delicate princess that was his sister. They needed to be strong physically and psychologically if they were to win the war that would lead many to their death. To gain that strength they needed to know pain and separation._

_He just hated to be the one to cause it._

-

Kari sat by the lake behind her brother's house with Gatomon deep in thought. It had been over a month since she had awoken and while she had recovered from her fall and the previous injuries she had received, her heart still felt heavy.

"We have to leave soon, don't we?" she questioned her partner, who nodded slightly.

"We're needed, to end this with the least bloodshed we have to be there."

There was no doubt between them what 'there' was. They were needed in the Baboa Mountains, where the fight was leading, where she had seen where TK's death would take place.

"I'm still not sure if have the strength to do it. How can I take his life? He means everything to me."

"And it is his wish to stop this war. You know that."

Kari bowed her head slightly.

"_Where … will we go?"_

"_You will be safe at the crystal palace. And if I wish to help people, I have to be with the northern elves."_

_Kari nodded sadly and rested her hand on his cheek, pulling his face close. She leant over to his ear, whispering almost silently, so that only he could hear. "It's the … prophecy. The I-Icerenia … I have th-the key. You're my precious person."_

_She looked into his shocked blue eyes, expecting him to turn away from her. He rested his hand on hers, the touch gentle and without disgust. Her eyes widened and her breath caught._

"Then we'll just have to make the most of the time we have before we part again," he answered, acknowledging with ease what was to come.

_He sat gently down next to her, pulling their hands onto his lap. She slid her head onto his shoulder to hide the pained tears that were streaming down her face, silently crying herself to sleep._

"And I wish he was selfish. He knows the truth and just accepts it. He didn't even try to fight it because of the people he would help."

"That's a lie Kari. If he were selfish then you would never have cared about him the way you do. It is his gentle heart that you love, that timid boy you learnt to care about when you were children."

Kari nodded sadly. "It is his wish, to protect the people and … I shall honour that wish. Amara is broken and tainted and for it to be fixed then they have to loose. I shall take the job that I was born for and protect the people; even if it's from themselves … I can do that for TK."

Everything she had tried to change by running away had been for nothing. The prophecy had followed her wherever she went. It had been planned long before. The sad and ugly truth was that they were puppets.

For whom and for what, she did not know but they were still puppets.

Kari reached to her hip and pulled a small sword out of her sheaf. It was nowhere near as the beautiful as the one that she had given TK but still had something of its own.

"It's time I had a new identity. We both know I'm not Hikari Kamiya anymore. I'm Kari."

"Kari Yagami," added Gatomon, "Younger sister of Tai Yagami."

"Kari Yagami," echoed Kari, "the true self of Hikari Kamiya, heir to the throne of Amara."

The journey she had been on had led to that moment, when she could accept what was and what had to be. To the rest of the world she'd still be Princess Hikari Kamiya, the young girl who ran away from her problems.

But, to her friends, she would be Kari Yagami; the girl, who through hardships, had grown into a woman fit to be a queen. She was stronger now, stronger than she had ever been.

Taking the sword she held the blade close to her neck and, holding her hair still, pulled outwards, watching the cinnamon strands fall to the floor, some blowing away in the wind.

Her hair flopped down to her chin, seemingly changing the shape of her face into something much more mature. Gatomon smiled. "It looks good. It looks like you."

Slowly, a small smile formed on her face and together they stood and walked inside. The severed hair lay on the floor. It wasn't part of her anymore, just like the uncertainty she carried with her was no longer a part of her.

Together, they left that behind.

-

Twelve years earlier

-

_Hikari ran up the tower, Nyaromon hopping at her side. She wasn't allowed in the tower too often because her parents didn't want to draw any suspicions. As she ran up the never-ending spiral of stairs she almost bumped into a boy and his partner._

_She would have apologised like she wished to do but it wasn't proper for the princess to apologise to a servant boy. It wasn't something that she liked and one day, when Taichi was king, she'd make sure that he changed that._

"_Come on Nya," she squealed excitedly as they reached the top of the tower. She span around, looking happily at all the tapestries. She giggled happily when she saw the one which told the story about the princess who was rescued from the ogles – just like the one on her wardrobe._

"_You think he'll tell it to us again?" she asked serenely. She knew the answer. He always told her any story she requested, except the one about the Icerenia. He didn't like it when she cried._

_She turned around and pulled back a veil that was on one of the walls, revealing a wooden door behind it. She turned it handle and pushed it open, slipping into the hidden room and closing the door behind her, as if she had never been there in the first place._

_A small, pink head bounced into her arms and grinned up at her. "Korromon!"_

"_What about me?" asked a young voice from nearby._

"_Taichi!" she squealed with even more enthusiasm._

_A lopsided grin graced the older boy's features. "I haven't seen you in a while."_

"_Mother said I wasn't allowed to. We had guests." Her nose wrinkled up._

"_Stinky guests," added Nyaromon._

"_How stinky?" asked Korromon._

"_Very."_

_Kari glanced around the room and instantly noticed something was wrong. It was little things – nothing anybody else would have noticed. Small trinkets from around the room that her brother valued were missing, his wardrobe looked slightly emptier, and small things like his hairbrush and toothbrush were missing from the counter._

"_Tai?" she questioned._

_His grin vanished. "I'm leaving tonight Kari. Joe's going to help me."_

_Tears ran down her face, her four-year-old mind trying to make sense of the situation. "Don't you love me anymore?"_

"_Don't ever say that!" snapped the older boy. "Of course I love you. I don't like being locked up."_

"_I don't either," pouted the princess. "I'm coming with you."_

_Taichi shook his head. "It's too dangerous. I won't be able to you or Nyaromon safe. There's a book in the library. I'm not sure which one but Joe said you'll be able to find it if you wanted it enough. It'll tell you how to get out of here. I wrote a message for you on it. Then as soon as I hear you're free I'll come find you."_

_Hikari shook her head. "Don't leave me."_

"_I'm sorry."_

_Taichi felt the guilt flood through him as he saw her break in her eyes._

_She wanted to scream. She wanted to shout. She wanted to do anything but cry. She couldn't find it in her young heart where everything is good or bad to place her brother in the latter. He was leaving her and that should make him bad but he was the only one she could trust. The only one she could be herself with._

_She threw herself into his arms, sobbing slightly before pushing him backwards with more strength than a four-year-old should have, grabbing Nyaromon and running out of the room, glancing briefly at the wall hanging she had seen on the way in._

_Only this time she scowled at it._

_She was going to train so she could be strong. She wasn't going to wait to be rescued by anybody because that way she could be with her brother again sooner. If she wanted to be with her brother she needed to be free. To be free it meant she needed to be in control. _

_As she ran down the tower, uncaring about the inappropriateness of her behaviour, she didn't realise that all her memories of the encountered were going to be blocked, leaving only her grim determination to be strong and to be free as a scar left over from the time she spent with her brother._

_A scar that would never fade._

-

Tai and Davis, along with their partners, waited for Kari to finish changing into her new clothes in the kitchen of the small house that they shared. Yesterday Kari had confronted them with her decision.

Knowing what she had to do, Tai would have tried to convince her otherwise had it not been for the look in her eyes. He couldn't describe it properly but knew that something had changed in her.

She was ready to become a ruler.

When they were first reunited and had asked him why he wouldn't step up to be king, it had been obvious that she wasn't ready then. She tried to convince him that it was his right when he told her that the throne was hers.

He wouldn't be accepted as king. It just wouldn't be possible in his eyes. His birth had been hidden and the public didn't know him. Not only that but because he left, he didn't have any of the skills required to be king, skills that Kari had been taught by the most expensive tutors since birth.

She had been trained to be queen but, until the day before, there had been something missing that no amount of training to give her. She had that now. He wasn't sure what it was but it completed her.

So, instead of fighting her decision, he accepted it. She knew the consequences of what she were about to choose but she also knew the consequences of not helping. That was the burden of royalty. They served the people, not the other way around as their father believed.

The creek of the wooden door opening caught his attention, bringing his gaze up to look at the princess in the doorway. She stood tall and the only way Tai could tell that she was anxious about their reactions was the way her teeth inched towards her lip, as if she wished to bite it.

Her chin length hair, which had been uneven before, had been straightened out and been pinned out of her eyes with a pair of simple gold hair slides with a small but elegant ruby flower on the end of each. She wore a scarlet, sleeveless dress. Gold embroidery of butterflies filled the bottom of the dress and lessened until they stopped halfway up.

The dress was cut for manoeuvrability in a fight and was slit from the top of the thigh on the outside of each leg, revealing the knee length black leggings beneath and the glint of metal from the weapons she had strapped on.

It was also apparent that she had blades strapped on at her forearms, although there was an empty space in one of the holsters that belonged to the dagger her brother left with TK. Around her waist, hung her sword and her bow and quiver sat on her shoulder.

On her feet, she wore simple black sandals completing the simple but elegant look.

Tai smiled, as he got to his feet. "You look like a queen already."

Kari shook her head. "I have to defeat our father first." She looked down at her clenched fist, opening it slightly and revealing an elegant, white gold necklace in the shape of a key with a ruby, filled with an ever-changing mist, set in it.

She lifted it by the long chain and lowered it around her neck, tucking the pendant out of sight. "It all ends soon, either way."

"Don't worry. Davis and I will escort you there as far as we can."

"You're coming with us?" asked Gatomon.

"Yep," agreed Davis. We'll be with you right until we meet the border of the Elves' land."

"No further?" asked Kari, confused.

"When I escaped the palace, I had help Kari. I made a deal with king Ashnark. He'd help me escape and in return, if there was ever a war, I would have to help his allies in the south."

"That's why you stayed with them for a bit," Gatomon said, putting the pieces together.

Tai nodded. "I'm pushing a bit as it is."

"If he's caught in the Baboa Mountains at this point in time," Agumon continued, "he could loose his head for breaching his contact."

"What about Davis? Do you have a contract too?" asked Kari.

Davis's face flamed red and he looked away, mumbling under his breath.

"No, he doesn't," smiled Tai.

"Just be careful about what you touch whilst you're there," laughed Veemon at his partner's expense.

"You ruin one measly invaluable work of art of historical significance and you're banned for life," exclaimed Davis. "I don't even know how it broke. It was supposed to be bolted to the wall!"

-

_Five years earlier_

-

_Seventeen-year-old Joe Kido frowned as he unscrewed the bolts that held the first Elvin King's armour from the war. "It's a shame it'll have to be ruined," he mumbled to himself._

-

Kari laughed before her face fell, turning to her brother. "You should go help the Southern Elves. Our father is planning an attack there soon. They need all the help they can get."

Tai nodded in understanding. "Davis can escort you as far as the border."

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine with me."

"I'll miss you Tai."

"I'll miss you too. Come here." He pulled the small girl into a brotherly hug. "Whatever you do, don't give up. Okay? Things will work out in the end."

"If you see Princess Sora … if you see her tell her that I shouldn't have run. I betrayed her trust."

Agumon gave a grin that belonged more on a crocodile than the orange digimon. "I'm sure he'll love to see Sora again."

Tai turned pink, bringing his fist down on his laughing partner's head. "Shut up. Or I'll mention that incident with Biyomon."

His partner stopped laughing, glaring up at his human in an instant. "You wouldn't."

"Oh you bet I would."

Kari shook her head. "I'm not even sure if I want to hear."

Tai smiled gratefully and, with a quick goodbye to her brother, Davis, Veemon Kari and Gatomon were on their way.

-

_Three years earlier_

-

_Joe looked at the innocent looking piece of jewellery in his hand. His mother told him to give it to the woman he knew he was going to marry. It wasn't nearly as innocent as it seemed. First of all it was one of the __five Icerenia pieces – not that his mother knew that._

_Second of all – and the thing that made it truly evil – was how was he supposed to approach her? He wasn't an expert when it came to social interaction, especially with females. He frowned._

_It didn't help that they travelled in packs. She was never alone, always with that gaggle of girls from the village._

_How was he ever to approach her if she wasn't on her own? He certainly wasn't brave enough to face her when she was in front of her friends. If she rejected him then he would die from embarrassment._

_He suddenly wished the Oracle had shown him more of his future so that he'd know what to do but unfortunately she showed only what needed to be showed and nothing more. He knew in two years time they'd be happily married and with a baby on the way but he didn't know how they got there or what bumps there were along the way._

_He sunk down to one of the lowest possible methods to try and catch her on her own. He was practically stalking her. He wondered if she had realised yet or not. He was embarrassed at even the slightest possibly that she had realised._

_What was he to do about Mimi?_

-

TK was waiting for her on the outskirts of the city. Davis had left her a while back, not wanting to be caught on Elvin land. For a moment, the princess was taken aback by the fact that he knew she would come. He knew, because he knew her, just like Patamon knew Gatomon. The two pairs stood opposite each other not saying a word for a long time, before TK smiled softly. "You look different Princess Kari. You look good."

The barrier broke and Kari ran across the empty space between them and clutched onto him, burying her face into his chest as she began to cry. "I don't want to lose you TK. You're my best friend."

"It needs to be done, if we don't this world will burn."

"I just wish there was another way."

They said nothing. They both knew that this was the only way. As much as they both would have liked to be selfish, to be together instead and let the world fall into ruin, neither them, nor their partners, could ever allow that to happen. They both had other people to protect that they cared about. They had promises to keep.

"Come on, the sooner you talk to King Ashnark then the longer we can have together before the time comes."

Kari smiled at TK as he took her hand, before they walked into a city in the mountains. It was hidden well and well protected from invaders however the princess noted that if anyone managed to break the defences then they would be helpless.

"Come on Princess Kari," he said, dragging her past the city gate. Patamon and Gatomon stayed close to them talking in low words.

Kari looked nervously at all the Elves in the city who were turning to look at her as they walked by. She felt a reassuring squeeze on her hand and smiled gratefully at TK, before looking away, schooling her expression into the mask she wore when they first met but still leaning closer to him as they walked towards the palace.

"Have you had any news from Sora?" asked Kari as a red head walked past, reminding her of her friend.

"She's on her way back to her kingdom with some of King Ashnark's best men. Last thing I heard was that she crossed the border of Amara. She's almost out of the danger now."

Kari sighed, not realising how worried she had been. "That's good to know. I only hope she makes it in time. There's been word of movement of the Amarian troops. They will be arriving here soon. Imprecatios has fallen and so has Anadaras. They are sending their own men to both the Elvin nations." They stopped at the palace gate, waiting for them to be opened.

"Names," said a lightly armoured Elf at the gate, who was obviously one of the guards.

"Takeru Takashi," TK replied formally, "And my companion Princess Hikari Kamiya."

The Elf nodded, his blonde hair shifting slightly to reveal the tips of his ears. He didn't look surprised at her name. Ashnark had been expecting her for a long time now. "Open the gates," he called out to someone who was awaiting his order.

As they reached the doors of the palace, Kari suddenly dug her heals into the floor and ground to a stop. Her face paled as memories of her childhood resurfaced. TK pulled her close and murmured encouragement in her ear.

"Princess Kamiya?" asked an elf standing by the door. His white blonde hair braised so tightly from the bottom of his neck that it was no fatter than a finger, his elfin ears sticking out prominently.

"Yes, it's me. And please don't call me Kamiya," Kari requested politely, "I'm not like my parents."

"King Ashnark has requested your presence." Kari nodded and walked forward with her friends but the elf shook his head. "Sorry Princess Hikari but he asked for a private audience. Your friends can not go with you."

"Oh," she replied, unsurprised. She had suspected that order. After growing up in the Amarian palace she knew when and when not to expect private audiences. For talks about something as crucial as theirs would be, negotiations were usually done where a council would not bother them. Well, that, and the fact she had already been shown what would happen by The Oracle.

"It's alright. We'll meet you up later," Gatomon said as cheerfully as possible for her partner but there was darkness in her eyes that told her she understood.

Kari nodded shortly, straightening up so she looked every bit the part of a princess. This was not only to save so many lives but for the good of her country. She finally understood what her mother had meant what seemed like so long ago when she told her it was an honour for a princess to marry for a kingdom.

It her duty to make the sacrifices that others couldn't. The authority that she held came with responsibilities. She may have hated her father more than anything else in the world, but it was not Amara that she hated. Even if she had left, she had a duty to fulfil for her people. A duty that she had finally learned to accept.

Amara was riddled with corruption that nobody was willing to fight and the king was greedy. The only way for Amara to become the prosperous and peaceful place – the country she had grown up hearing great tales of – it had to be rebuilt from scratch. For the good of her people, they had to lose the war.

She walked nervously down the hall with the man. She didn't like the idea of being alone in the foreign palace – or any palace for that matter. "Do you – do you know what King Ashnark wishes to speak to me about?" she asked merely for the reason that she had asked in the prophecy and wanted something to break the silence. Though it was subtle she could sense the elf held her in some part responsible for the war.

"No Princess. You can ask him yourself," he said indicating to a door, allowing her to pass through. On the other side of the door she found herself in a meeting room, with a large table that would fit all the Kingdom's officials for their annual meeting. The only other figure in the room was an elf. The king looked exactly the same as in the vision. The crown on his head served to make his pointed ears more prominent as it pushed down his white hair.

He looked young, no older than his mid twenties but Kari knew that looks could be deceiving when it came to elves, as they did not age like humans. He was probably well over two hundred years old. "You wished to speak to me your majesty," she said, nodding her head in respect.

He stood up, as smile reaching his chestnut eyes, as he walked over to Kari, pulling out a seat for her to sit down. "Yes, you must be Princess Hikari. They didn't lie when they said you were beautiful." She felt the heat rise to her cheeks at the complement. It was not that she was embarrassed, rather angry that he could act so calmly when it was through his actions that TK became the one that had die. She knew that, while she could respect him, she would always hold resentment towards the man because of that.

"I heard the prophecy. I know what must be done."

"Are you willing?"

Kari looked over the room, examining a portrait on the wall rather than meeting the old king's eyes. "Sacrifices have to be made, even ones we do not wish to be made. It is my duty to do what I can to prevent further loss of life. I must put the needs of my kingdom first. The needs of many above the needs of one," her voice was hollow as she said that but still firm. She had made her decision and, despite what it meant for him, TK agreed with her.

It was a horrible, brutal, and ugly truth that something like this was needed to ensure peace.

"However, if I am to do this, there are a few things you must agree on." She turned to him her eyes revealing how much she hated him for making her make this decision, for making sure that everything led up to that very moment. "Once it is done, nobody will try to overthrow Amara. I shall take my place as queen and undo all the mess that my father has caused.

"You shall openly state your support of me. I will need time to rebuild Amara into what it once was. If I am to do that, trading agreements made that benefit my kingdom and not just the nobles shall be kept. However, due to the mistakes of King Susumu I be assured you will do all you can to keep them going?"

They both had known this was coming but he still needed it spoken aloud. She wasn't going to let TK make a sacrifice if it did not ensure the safety of what he was trying to save.

"You have my word."

"And will you help rebuild Amara?"

"We will need to focus our attentions on our own cities. Your father is set to attack in just a few hours."

"What I must sacrifice is far greater than what you must." Her words were bitter but they both knew that it was truth. "You will help rebuild Amara."

The girl she had been ever since she left the palace fell away, leaving behind the strong woman who had been taught how to manage a kingdom, the one that Tai and Davis had seen in Tai's cottage. The look she gave King Ashnark told him that she wasn't backing down.

"We will help rebuild your most prominent businesses, after that I need to focus on my own country."

Kari nodded in agreement.

"Do you have The Key?"

Kari nodded pulling at the chain around her neck to lift her pendant into his view. It was a small key made from white gold, handed down from mother to daughter as long as her family could remember, and on the front a jewel had been set into it. A ruby, that seemed to be filled with an ever-changing mist. It was an innocent looking thing but she knew what it was now.

"You are certain it is it?"

"You saw the prophecy that was made. You saw it around my neck. It is the key." She paused. "You have collected the five pieces?"

"The last arrived just a few hours before you did."

She nodded stiffly. She had hoped they would not be there in time. "Just so you know, I want it on the record that I was against this. The Icerenia may grant power but the method to do so is barbaric."

"You're still the one making the sacrifice," replied the king.

"You still set it up. You made it so that I would have no choice but this." Bitterness had crept into her tone and the king could hear it clearly.

"There is always a choice Hikari."

"Only one that costs countless lives. If my heart has to be sacrificed to save them, then it is what I must to."

She turned to leave, pausing as the Elvin King spoke. "If there had been any other way …"

"… We are both tools to the future," she said quietly, "We have both made our decisions. It is our job to make the decision that will benefit the majority. This is where it had led. Tonight shall be spoken of for a long time. Many will praise us for our actions, but others will hate us for this, including ourselves. We must accept the consequences."

She had hated the words when she had first heard them but she knew now that it was true, she had to accept what she was about to do and what was to come.

He did not answer. She did not expect him to. She strode out the room without a glance back.

Despite that, the king stood and followed her through the halls. The air was tense between her. Ashnark knew that the princess hated him for orchestrating TK's death and Kari knew that he knew that. He seemed to be in deep contemplation before he spoke.

"I would like you to see the chambers where ..." he did not finish his sentence, trailing off as the princess bristled. "It would be best for you to know where you must be going."

Kari nodded and the king led her down a series of halls that she committed to memory. "So this is where I must be at sunset," Kari said. Unlike in the vision the room was full of light and there were several people there preparing the chamber.

A sad smile crossed her face briefly when she recognised two of them, who looked at her in shock.

Mimi and Matt were standing talking to some of the sorcerers who would channel the power of the sacrifice. "Kari," Mimi smiled, "I'm so glad you're okay. We thought ... we thought for sure that you died."

"I was saved by my brother. It seems that some of my memories were sealed by my father."

"It's about time he was stopped," agreed Matt, his voice full of confidence as he looked over the people working. "After all, what's one life when we can save thousands? That one shall be remembered as a hero for all of time."

A gentle sheen of tears covered ruby eyes as she looked at the brother of the man she loved. Mimi gasped to the side and Matt turned to her in confusion as his girlfriend began to cry. Mimi shook her head viciously, though her eyes never left Kari.

Looking back at the princess, Matt's eyes landed on The Key. Understanding filled his eyes.

"NO!" he yelled, "You can't do this. Not TK. You can't!" Four soldiers waiting in the wings grabbed Matt and two grabbed Mimi, while their digimon subdued Palmon and Gabumon.

Matt glared at the Elvin king. "You lied to me. This isn't what I wanted. TK was supposed to be safe. TK was supposed to live. If I had known this I would never have retrieved the Icerenia piece!" Mimi was sobbing openly as Matt struggled against the guards.

The king spoke softly as he met Matt's eyes. "So it is okay for another to die but not your own brother?"

"I'll stop this. I'll find a way to stop this."

"Take them away," Ashnark ordered coolly.

Kari looked away as the grown man struggled, knowing it meant the death of his brother if he failed.

When all fell silent when the four had been removed from the room, Ashnark spoke at last. "It is how it must be."

Kari hated the calmness in his voice after that scene. Perhaps that was just the curse those who grew as old as the elves did. They lived to see so much pain and suffering that they must have been desensitised to the sight of it. "I think," Kari said quietly, "I think that I shall go find my partner now, as well as TK and Patamon."

The king nodded and watched as the princess left. "It is how it must be," he spoke, only this time the words were directed at himself.

-

The four of them sat quietly in one of the empty gardens in the giant greenhouses. They had been there for a while, out the way as soldiers and civilians alike prepared for battle. The air was warmer in the greenhouses than anywhere else on the cold mountain, the dark tinted glass trapping the sun's heat. Kari lay with her head on TK's chest, eyes closed but wide awake. She didn't want to waste or forget a single moment.

Patamon and Gatomon were sat in one of the taller trees, watching their partners with sadness. They both knew that at sunset, everything would change.

"I don't want you to leave," Kari admitted at last. "I want you to stay more than anything. I'm scared," she admitted at last.

"I'm scared too," admitted TK, his arm pulling her closer than before. "I wonder what it's like to die."

Kari buried her head further into his chest and TK could feel the warm dampness of the tears she hid. TK gently sat up, lifting Kari as he did so and looked into her redder than usual eyes. Her face was blotchy from crying and tears stained her face. "Whatever happens, we'll be together eventually. It may take a while but we'll get there."

If anything, it seemed to make Kari cry even more. Patamon looked awkward at the situation, not used to crying girls. "I'll ... er ... get some tissue. Yes that's what I'll do," he announced, zooming off before anyone could stop him.

Gatomon scowled and chased after him. "Get back here you flying pig!"

Kari giggled slightly but her eyes remained sad. TK cupped her face gently with his hand. "You'll get through this. You're strong, princess. I know you are."

She smiled weakly, wiping the tears from her face. "TK, I ... I lo –"

A loud explosion rattled the castle, causing them to leap to their feet. "The city is under attack," TK said, before he suddenly grabbed Kari and held her closely as possible, and ducking his head down as shards of glass rained from the broken ceiling.

TK cried out as the glass caught him, slicing up his back as he protected Kari with his own body. As the glass stilled TK released Kari, her eyes wide with horror as she took in his injuries. It was mostly superficial, the shards having been slowed by the tree branches overhead but it was still causing him obvious pain.

Kari looked up and, seeing the sky without the tinted glass overhead she saw something horrifying. "We have to get to the chamber," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the main section of the palace.

"Shouldn't we wait for Patamon and Gatomon?" asked TK, as the princess pulled him through the halls of the palace. They could hear explosions from behind them and rocks crumbled down the ceiling.

"There's no time. Sunset is in just a few minutes."

Her breath was heavy, her eyes panicked as they landed on a crumbled wall, blocking their path. She grabbed TK's wrist tighter and pulled him back, heading in the way that they had just come from.

"Halt!"

Two men in classic King's own uniform appeared before them, blocking their path. Through the window the sun had almost set. Kari flicked both wrists, daggers appearing in each side as she took up a fighting form, TK raising the glowing ruby sword beside her.

She lunged, slashing at the Amarian soldiers, as TK began to trade blows with the other. She locked the man's sword in place with the two knifes just before it reached her face. She dropped her weight to the side, swinging her leg under the man, sending him flying to the floor, his sword clattering on the ground.

The knife flew from her hand, lodging itself in the soldier's neck and killing him within seconds. She swept down and picked up the knife as TK appeared beside her, blood smudging both of them,

"We have to keep moving. This way."

They passed through several more corridors, descending the stairs into the dungeons and into a dark room; five figures lurked in the darkness, just out of sight. They both knew that they were there though and that they had been waiting for them. In the dim light Kari could make out the circular grooves on the floor.

"It's almost sundown," she whispered. She looked up at TK, ruby eyes shining. "TK …" her voice broke slightly and he pulled her close.

"It's okay. Everything is going to be fine."

She fought the lump in her throat and looked up at him. "I love you TK," she whispered, "More than anything."

"I love you too."

"You are my heart," she whispered, pushing the blade in her hand through his back and into his heart. Tears poured down her face as he looked up at her, his unusually bright eyes dulling by the second and filled with pain. Her lips ghosted across his, as she made comforting sounds like one would to a child.

He grunted in pain as she pulled the knife out, the metallic smell of blood lingering in the air. Candles suddenly lit up around them, revealing the ancient symbol the circular grooves were cut into. Tears began to run down her face as she let TK's body crumple to the floor, his blood filling the channels. She dropped to the floor, crying tears of regret.

Around her the items the five, cloaked people were holding began to glow, the energy focussing on the key around her neck, before the world was engulfed in a white flash.

And in that moment she did something that would change everything. She wasn't strong enough to do what The Oracle had done. She had never been strong enough to change the future on her own but she was strong enough to make a few changes to things that had already been done.

She could change the curse and make it her own.

Because sometimes – just sometimes – the puppet could break free of its strings.

-

_Twelve years earlier_

-

_Joe Kido stared at King Ashnark, who awaited him in the mouth of the Oracle's cave, in shock. Everything that he had been taught, everything that he knew he was supposed to do suddenly took on a whole new shape, a much darker shape._

_There was so much pain in the future to come and it was his job to insure that it happened. Because it had to happen, if there was ever to be peace but his young mind couldn't comprehend the pain that he had to cause._

_The boy and the girl from the vision, the ones that went through so much pain, he had to cause that. He had to set it up so they would become the most important thing to each other … important enough to invoke the Icerenia._

"_How … How can I help them?" he asked his mentor and the closest thing he had to a father._

"_Find a way to make them strong Joe. The strength they need comes only from suffering. They have to know pain, love, and separation. They have to know what it's like to loose somebody that they love. It is that way that they will be strong enough to fulfil their destiny and, hopefully strong enough to change their fate. That is their only chance to find hapiness too."_

-

The Oracle's eyes widened as the future began to change. Things began to reshuffle themselves before everything in her sight shattered, disappearing as the shards of the future fell out of sight. The spider web of strings that connected her to everything drawing back inside her, leaving only the haziness of the future that

Things that she had known before she couldn't quite remember, things lingering out of sight and where it should belong. Everything was disappearing from her sight as her amber eyes became unclouded. For a second she caught a glimpse of something in a new future before she was slammed back into the present, along with knowledge of her name. Yolei. Her name was Yolei.

"I'm free," Yolei gasped breathlessly, "I'm free." Her mind was set on finding one person until her thoughts were interrupted by an unusual occurrence.

Beside her, Hawkmon began to glow.

-

Thirteen years earlier

-

Kari sat by her brother in the tower, swinging her feet beneath the bed and hugging Nyaromon to her chest. "Tai, Tai," she chirped happily, "tell me a story."

"_Okay. How about the one with the ogles?"_

_Kari made a face. "But you've told that one lots and lots and lots. It's boring now."_

"_So you want a new story."_

_The young princess's eyes lit up. "A new story? Really?"_

"_It's not really a new story. It's actually really, really old. It's a legend about the Icerenia."_

"_Eye-keh-ree-knee-ah…" sounded out the princess. "Icerenia. What's that?"_

_Tai smiled, taking a spot of his own on the bed with Korromon on his lap. "You'll have to wait and see. Comfy?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Long ago, before even the kingdoms of the old had formed, digimon began to appear in the world. With no knowledge of what they were, two sides quickly began to form. There were those who believed that digimon should be treated with respect and those that believed that they were simply tools to be used._

"_A war quickly started to build with many deaths on each side, however there were twelve powerful individuals on the side that believed that digimon should be used. They were called the Yaksha Warriors and their partners, the Digimon Devas._

"_The story begins with a young girl, who wished to become one of them. Her name was Rika …" _

Next chapter enter Rika, Izzy, Takato, Henry, Suzie, J.P., Tommy, Ai, and Mako and probably more.


	22. Interlude Part 1 Growing

Small Warning: This chapter is a bit darker than previous chapters. Also Sorry for not updating sooner. Life happens. On with the story. I just want to thank those who have been kind enough to get me off my lazy butt and keep writing. Writers block. The stories there but everything keeps coming out dry.

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* * *

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**Interlude Part 1 – Growing**

* * *

**Many thousands of years earlier**

Rika Nonaka was the product of a growing climate. At eight years old she saw her digimon partner as nothing more than a tool for her own benefit. It wasn't her fault. Digimon had only started appearing in recent generations, her own being the first where everyone appeared to have received one, and their purpose was not known.

The growing power of the region belonged to the twelve Yaksha warriors and their Deva partners. They were the ones who enforced the idea that digimon were to be used as weapons, used as the monsters they were, and caused a lot of strife between Rika and her widowed mother.

Within the safety of the house walls, Rumiko Nonaka expressed her contrasting views with the Yaksha warriors, while her daughter idolised them and wished to join them as soon as she was old enough.

Times were changing. There were no monarchs to prevent such a threat that was rising in power and nobody strong enough to fight the Devas. Rika however was determined to grow strong enough to defeat one and take the Yaksha warrior's place.

Stood in a small clearing of the small patch of wood near her village she went through her sword drills perfectly while Renamon, her unusually strong anthropomorphic fox-like partner, watched with icy blue eyes as the young girl panted, her sword wobbling in her weakening grip.

"You're never going to get strong that way," Renamon said detachedly, her tall form leaning against a tree as her white-tipped yellow tail wrapped around her form.

"Shut up," hissed Rika, "I don't need you. I can do this on my own. I don't need your interruptions."

"No," Renamon said calmly, ignoring the angry tones of her human partner, "I don't believe you do but it seems that your friends believe that you need theirs."

As she spoke, two forms entered the clearing. One was a nine-year-old like herself. The boy was dressed in simple clothes, all that the bakery that his family ran allowed him to have. His bushy brown hair pushed back with a pair of goggles that a traveller who rode is dragon-like digimon gave him when passing through.

At the boy's side was his red, black, and white dinosaur-like partner. Both were smiling widely at her like they always did. She was the only child the boy's age in the village and she had been friends with him once, some years ago, before her father died and she realised the importance of strength. Her father was weak and therefore he died. She would not be the same.

"What do you want Takato? I'm busy."

Takato bit his lip slightly, trying to ignore the fact that she acted as if Guilmon did not exist. "We were wondering if you wanted to come and play with us."

"I'm training," she replied and ignoring her tiredness, lifted the ruby sword that was too large for her. She'd grow into it one day and when she finally did then she would be ready to become a Yaksha warrior.

"You said that yesterday," complained Guilmon in a whine.

Rika didn't so much as look at the digimon. Takato clenched his fists as he watched Rika move through the series of steps in practice. "You shouldn't pay so much attention to their teachings, you know?"

The red haired girl paused, before lowering her sword to her side and turning to him. "You pay too little attention. You let that creature run amuck in this village. You should take more control of it."

"Guilmon is not an 'it'. He's my friend."

Rika gave a derisive snort. "And that is why you are weak. They're nothing more than tools. To be strong you need to control it. That is what the Yaksha warriors teach us." Renamon watched impassively in the background.

"Then the Yaksha warriors are fools."

"They're the most powerful people out there," snapped Rika.

"Well they're still fools. Digimon are not tools."

"They are tools. They're worth nothing if they're weak. Only their strength matters." Takato looked so sad at her words, while Guilmon looked at his partner fearfully, as if she might have convinced him of her way of thought. The girl scowled darkly at the boy before turning on her heal. "I think I'm done training for today." Renamon did not follow.

Rika stalked back to her house angrily. 'How dare they say such things about the warriors? They're idiots they know nothings. The Yaksha know how digimon are to be treated. They know what makes a person strong. Digimon are nothing but tools.'

Her house was silent when she returned, something that caused her to pause. Her house was always noisy, well ... not noisy but there was always something going on, whether it be her grandmother making tea or her mother healing people that came through.

Her mother had lived with a coven of witches for most of her life, learning her art, before she met her father and left to be with him. Even after Rika's father died, her mother did not move back. She'd tried to pass her knowledge on to Rika but her attempts were rebuffed every time. You don't become strong by healing.

This led back to her predicament, the house being silent. Not bothering to kick off her boots, she walked into the kitchen and froze. Her grandmother lay in the middle of the room in a pool of her own blood. A scream escaped her lips before she even realised what had happened.

There was a clamour at the other end of the small house and a masked man, a mask she instantly recognised as one the followers of the Yaksha warriors wore, came in the room, clutching a knife to her mother's throat and a hand clamped over her mouth. Her mother's panicked, ruby witch eyes pleaded for her to run.

Her body tensed, like the deer used to when they noticed her father hunting them, and she prepared to bolt. The man saw this. "Run and she dies." A bead of blood ran down the blade in accompany to the warning.

"Mama, what's going on?"

Though Rika could not see the face of the man, his eyes seemed to smirk enough for her to know that a real one was on his face. "Your mother thought it was a good idea to heal the Devas' enemies. The price for such treason is her life."

Rika stared at her struggling mother, not comprehending what was going on. The Yaksha warriors wouldn't hurt a healer. Witches were respected. Their knowledge was respected. Their history was respected. They were honoured by all for the peace that they kept. Surely they wouldn't deliberately hurt, much less kill a witch. They wouldn't do that. They couldn't.

Her mother knocked the hand away from her mouth. "Run, Rika. RUN! They'll kill you t-augh." Rika screamed as a monstrous digimon crushed her mother in its jaws and shook her body, causing her mother's blood flew across the room. The red liquid splattered across her face.

Rika froze in horror, unable to take her eyes off the sight. All sound seemed drain from around her; only through sight could she tell the masked man was laughing at the horrific death. Even when the glowing red eyes of the digimon turned to her she couldn't move, she couldn't even breathe. It was only when the beast snapped at her feet that control came back to her.

She span and ran, too numb to even scream in fear. Silent tears streamed down her face as she stumbled out the door, slamming behind her, only to be met with a large crunching sound as the door was broken down. A small whimper escaped her lips as her foot caught on the root of a tree, causing her to lose her footing and fly to the floor.

The monstrous creature was stood over her in a second. The metallic tang of her mother's blood which dripped from its face onto her made Rika feel nauseous. Her panic rose to new levels as lowered its teeth towards her neck.

Rika began to sob and closed her eyes. It was going to kill her. She was going to die.

There was a sudden high-pitched yelp and the weight from above her disappeared and there was a snap as the digimon flew into a nearby tree and cracked in it half from the force it had hit it. Her slowly opening eyes widened suddenly as she took in the anthropomorphic yellow fox that stood protectively in front of her, defending her from the digimon.

"_I don't need you"_

"_They're nothing more than tools."_

"_Only their strength matters."_

"Renamon ... why?"

"I'm your partner," Renamon replied, as if it explained it all, and maybe it did. In that moment Rika couldn't care less. All she knew was that everyone she cared about was dead and, despite her horrible treatment of Renamon, her partner was there when she needed her most.

She burst anew into sobs. "I'm sorry," she cried as the fox digimon lifted her up, cradling her in her purple gloved arms, as she ran from the area. Trees flickered by as they fled from the area. "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you somewhere safe while I fight the others off."

"Don't leave me," she whispered.

"I will be right back."

Rika nodded. She didn't want to lose the only family (and it was strange how she thought of Renamon as family when not half an hour she thought of her as a tool) that she had left. Rika looked up and recognised the area where they were headed. "This is Takato's house."

Renamon did not reply, as she was already knocking on the door which was promptly opened by Takato's mother, whose keen eyes took in Rika's blood splattered face with horror. "Please Mrs Matsuki. I need you to hide Rika. The Yaksha warriors have deemed her family threat. Her mother and grandmother are already dead."

Mrs Matsuki gazed at Rika intensely, her actions nervous as she once again looked over Rika. "I – I can't. I can't have them after my family as well. "If they'd kill a witch then they'd kill son with no second thought."

"Please Mrs Matsuki," said Rika in a quiet voice, far from the bold girl she was known as from around the village, "I have nowhere else to go. They killed my mother." Tears mixed with blood on her face.

Takato's mother looked conflicted before she scrunched her eyes up tightly. "Quick," she hissed, "get inside before anybody sees you. And stay away from the windows."

Rika found herself being ushered inside as Renamon left without a word and sat down by the fire. It was only when she felt the cool wet cloth touching her forehead that she realised that Takato and Guilmon had entered the room. Takato's mother stood with a bowl of water and a bloodstained cloth as she cleaned Rika of her mother's blood.

Takato's warm brown eyes looked at her sadly. It was a different kind of sad than earlier that day where he had been sad because of the direction her beliefs were taking her. This time, he was sad for the pain she felt. "It's going to be okay, you know?"

Was it? At that moment she honestly didn't know.

They (Rika, Takato, Guilmon, and Mrs Matsuki) sat in silence as the minutes passed by endlessly. After an age there was a knock at the door. They all froze. Mrs Matsuki walked over to the front window, which at some point since Rika had entered been drawn, and peeked through the gap, before drawing back.

"It's them."

"Open up," a voice commanded from outside.

"Quick, hide her. And for god's sake take Guilmon with you," she hissed to her son, before turning to the door and speaking in a loud voice, "Just coming!"

Takato pulled Rika's sleeve and lead her into the kitchen, his eyes glancing around before spotting the larder door. He pulled it open and moved the broom to the side and pushed the young girl inside and closing the door on her. Through a small crack in the dark cupboard she was able to see Takato and Guilmon hide under the sink and pull the small curtain across behind them.

Her heart beat fast as she suddenly realised how much danger the family truly was in because of her. She was shaking, huddled on the floor, and trying to keep her breathing as silent as possible. She heard two male voices enter the room, arguing loudly but the actual words muffled by the larder door. What scared her was the fact that she could not hear Takato's mother. She wouldn't have let them enter the kitchen alone, not with her son there.

Rika didn't care to think what that meant.

Through the crack in the door she watched the men, both average in size and strength take a quick glance around the room. They spoke a bit more before one of them walked directly towards the sink and reached out to pull back the small curtain.

Her heart beat frantically. She couldn't let them hurt Takato. Not because of her. Without thinking about her actions she deliberately moved so that the broom fell slightly and hit the wall on the other side. It was a small noise but loud enough to get the men's attentions. The man about to reveal Takato's hiding place drew back and walked towards the larder door, the knife in the hand glinting in the sun from the window.

Rika shrunk down as far as she could in the corner, wishing more than anything she had not left her sword back at her house, laying on the floor where it had been dropped at the sight of her grandmother's body. She was going to die, Mrs Matsuki was most likely already dead, and they'd kill Takato as soon as they were done with her.

The man ripped open the larder door and grabbed her by the neck and through her onto the floor across the kitchen, her head hitting the table leg. She cried out in pain, before silencing in fear as the second man held a blade to her throat.

"This is what traitors get," he sneered.

She whimpered as the blade dug into her neck. "Just kill her already," the first man complained.

"Fine, whatever," the man with the knife replied. At that moment Takato and Guilmon burst out of their hiding place and tackled the man away from her but not before he could slash the blade up her neck and across her face.

Guilmon may have been a digimon and therefore strong in his own right but as soon as the first man grabbed Takato and held his own blade to the boy's gut he stopped. He could not put his partner's life in danger. The men held the two children under knife point as the digimon watched helplessly from the side.

"This wouldn't have happened if you just killed her."

"It's not my fault. Look what they did to my face."

"Shut already."

"I say we take whatever's of worth when we're done."

"Boss will want some though."

"Then we don't tell h – augh." The man choked and looked down in bewilderment at his chest, which was punctured with shards of ice. Across from him, the man holding the other kid they had caught, had the same shards wedged firmly in his back, one severing the spinal cord.

Both men slumped to the ground and Rika turned to the doorway of the kitchen where Renamon stood, holding the ruby sword that had been her father's in her hand. Rika had never been more relieved in her life, flying into her part's arms. She stayed there for a few moments before everything caught up.

"Takato is your mother ..." She trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

Takato shook his head with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have come here. It's my fault."

"No," Takato said firmly and in a cold voice that surprised even Guilmon, "It's theirs." The four all glanced at the bodies of their attackers. They were silent a moment, before Takato spoke in a quiet voice. "Where do we go now?"

It was Rika who answered. Her ruby eyes were full of determination. "M-Mama mentioned the Southern Rebels – the ones who're fighting the Warriors. I wish to go there." Takato looked at her in surprise. Just that morning Rika had been adamant about becoming one of the Yaksha warriors and now she wanted to fight them. But then again, it had been a very long morning.

"You may come with me ... I mean us," she said looking up at her partner with a small smile, "I wish fight. I want to fight. Not to be strong though, I want to keep Renamon safe and the other digimon too."

A smile appeared on the yellow fox's face, one of the few that anyone other than Rika would see. "And it is because of that reason that you will grow strong ... the strongest of them all.

* * *

**Fifteen Years Later**

* * *

There had only been darkness for what seemed like forever. The cave system that the young pair and lone digimon had found themselves in seemed to go in circles, always avoiding the light. Their own candle light had run out hours ago.

"We're lost," sniffed the young girl, clutching the hands of her twin and their partner, unwilling to lose either of them in the darkness.

"It'll be okay. They're here. I know there are."

Their digimon, unseen, rolled his eyes in the darkness at the sentimentality of his two humans. He had to be stuck with two kids who fought over him the whole time, at least when they weren't being sappy.

Footsteps much louder than their own echoed ahead of them and the soft orange glow of firelight reached around the corner.

"Hello!" the girl called out.

The footsteps stopped and the light blinked out of existence. The digimon growled slightly. "Great going, Ai. You've scared our one hope of getting out of tunnel off."

Ai's face crumpled up. The first sniff came, quickly followed by the other. Impmon could almost feel the dirty looks Mako must have been giving him as he reached for his sister.

The digimon grit his teeth, a word he really shouldn't have been using around two impressionable kids slipping out with practiced ease, and he turned his back slightly. "I'm not going to fall for it. You can't guilt me without those puppy eyes and it's dark and -" _Sniff. _"Fine! I'll go and get the lousy son of a Slugmon."

Ai felt herself loose her grip on Impmon as his footsteps disappeared off around the corner. There were muffled voices, a flurry of movement, and then more profanities that she didn't understand from her partner. Then the light returned and a second later.

Then six-year-old relaxed as she saw her purple partner return, green eyes sparkling, and a smug look on his face. He gestured with his red gloved hands at the two cloaked figures with the hoods pulled low down, shadowing their faces. One was holding a burning torch, while the other, shorter figure had suspiciously reptilian feet sticking out underneath the loose material.

"These two idiots are with the Rebels. They're going to take us to the main base. You brats were actually right about them being here. Makes a change for once."

Ai and Mako followed the silent cloaked figures for what felt like an age through the cold winding tunnels. Mako was pretty certain that the pair were deliberately leading them in circles until they didn't know what was up and what was down anymore.

Finally they turned a corner and the walls fell away into a vast cavern. The walls seemed to carved out into a honeycomb structure and had curtains draped across the front of some like walls, making small homes. Rock pathways trailed across the walls, some going up, some going across, and all linking the entire area up. The ceiling though glowed with the light caused by a spell that must have taken many magic users to create.

Their guides, as soon as they stepped into the base of the Rebels, relaxed and pulled down their hoods, turning to them with warm smiles. The man was in his early twenties, with roughly cut brown hair, and several small scars littering his face. Noticing her gaze he just smiled more. "I've been in a few battles."

His partner was an odd reddish dinosaur, who seemed to share the same carefree attitude as the man. "I'm Guilmon. This is Takato."

Takato gestured to the place. "Welcome to The Hub."


End file.
